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India examining Dhaka’s extradition request for Sheikh Hasina: MEA
Former Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina was awarded death sentence by a Bangladeshi tribunal on November 17 for crimes against humanity
NEW DELHI: India is examining a request from Dhaka for the extradition of former premier Sheikh Hasina, who was convicted of crimes against humanity while cracking down on student-led protests last year, and awarded the death sentence by a Bangladeshi tribunal on November 17.
“We have received the request and it is being examined as part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly media briefing on Wednesday.
Dhaka has demanded that New Delhi hand Hasina over to Bangladesh under a bilateral extradition treaty. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), a domestic war crimes court set up by the current regime, also gave her a separate sentence of imprisonment until death after convicting her of inciting, facilitating, being complicit in, and failing to prevent crimes against civilians by law enforcement and armed cadres of the Awami League party.
“We remain committed to the best interest of the people of Bangladesh, and to peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country. We will continue to engage constructively in this regard with all stakeholders,” Jaiswal said in response to a question.
Hasina, Bangladesh’s longest-serving PM, resigned amid massive protests, and fled to India in August 2024. She reacted to the death sentence by saying it was announced by a “rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government” and aimed at nullifying the Awami League as a political force. Bangladesh chief adviser Muhammad Yunus said the conviction underscored that “no one, regardless of power, is above the law”.
Hours after the verdict on November 17, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry demanded that Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who too was given the death sentence, should be immediately handed over by India under the bilateral extradition treaty.
Hasina was tried along with two of her top aides --- Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun --- for crimes against humanity for their role in handling the protests last year. Kamal, who fled Bangladesh after the fall of Hasina’s government, is believed to be in Kolkata.
On November 19, two days after the verdict, national security adviser Ajit Doval held talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Khalilur Rahman on a range of bilateral issues in Delhi. The discussions took place on the eve of the 7th meeting of the NSAs of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), a forum that seeks to promote closer cooperation between member states --- India, Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh --- on vital matters of security and to strengthen partnership for boosting regional security in the vast Indian Ocean region where China is boosting its influence.
