External Affairs Minister Jaishankar with Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, left, in New Delhi, on April 8, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

Sheikh Hasina has said the judgment has been made by a “rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate”. File
| Photo Credit: AFP

Dhaka:

Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in exile in India, called the South Asian nation’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus a “mobster” and accused him of unleashing “terrorists” and fostering “lawlessness” in the country. In response, Dhaka reaffirmed its commitment to bringing her back from India and stressed securing Ms Hasina’s extradition remains its top priority. 

Ms Hasina, who fled to India after her government was toppled in a student-led uprising on August 5, 2024, on Monday held a one-on-one interaction on Zoom with the widows of four policemen killed during last July’s student uprising. During the conversation, the ousted leader commiserated on their tragic loss and promised redressal upon her return.

“The killings were part of his meticulous conspiracy to throw me out of power,” she said, adding “I will return and avenge the deaths of our policemen.”

Accusing Mr Yunus of dissolving all inquiry committees, Ms Hasina alleged the interim government has “unleashed terrorists” to butcher people.

“They are destroying Bangladesh,” she said. Ms Hasina further claimed that she escaped an assassination attempt narrowly when her government was overthrown, stating, “By the grace of God, I was kept alive to do something good. I will return and ensure justice for all of you.”

The four policemen were killed when Ms Hasina tried to suppress the student-led protests last year in July-August. The moment which started as protests against a controversial quota system soon culminated in a call for her ouster.

In a teary address, Ms Hasina noted that nearly 450 police stations were also set on fire and said the killings were part of a larger conspiracy orchestrated by Mr Yunus, who has since accepted there was a “design and conspiracy” to remove Ms Hasina.

“The killings were part of his meticulous conspiracy to throw me out of power,” she said.

The former premier added that “mobster” Muhammad Yunus and others who caused these killings would be brought to justice “on Bangla soil”.

“This government that usurped power has to go. People have to ensure that. Human rights violations under him (Mr Yunus) have been unprecedented. We have to ensure the people put him out of power,” she added. 

Dhaka’s Response

Soon after Ms Hasina’s Zoom interaction, Bangladesh’s interim administration stressed that securing the former Prime Minister’s extradition from India remains their topmost priority. 

“This is the government’s top priority. We will continue our efforts to extradite Hasina to hold her trial in person,” said Mr Yunus’ press secretary, Shafiqul Alam on Tuesday. 

Casting a shadow on the future of Ms Hasina’s  Awami League in Bangladesh, Alam said the people and political parties of Bangladesh will decide if the party should continue to exist in the country’s political landscape, but stressed that those allegedly involved in killings, enforced disappearances, and other crimes must face justice.

He also cited a report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which accuses Ms Hasina’s administration of committing crimes against humanity and said, “After the report of the UN and some reports of rights groups were published, pressure has mounted (on India to return Ms Hasina to Bangladesh).”

India Yet To Respond

Bangladesh’s Foreign Office has submitted a diplomatic note requesting Ms Hasina’s repatriation. New Delhi has acknowledged its receipt, but it has yet to provide any further response. 

Deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
| Photo Credit: PTI

Bangladesh’s interim government on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) said it will continue its efforts to bring deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina back from India and will seek international intervention if necessary.

Law Adviser Asif Nazrul told reporters at the Secretariat in Dhaka that if New Delhi refuses to return Ms. Hasina, it would constitute a violation of the extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India, the Daily Star newspaper reported.

Ms. Hasina, 77, has been living in India since August 5 last year when she fled Bangladesh following a massive student-led protest that toppled her Awami League’s (AL) 16-year regime. Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for “crimes against humanity and genocide”.

Last year, Dhaka sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi seeking the extradition of Ms. Hasina.

“We have written a letter for extradition. If India does not extradite Sheikh Hasina, it will be a clear violation of the extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India,” Mr. Nazrul said.

In that case, he said, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take necessary steps to address the matter within the international community. The foreign ministry is also making efforts and a red alert has already been issued, the law adviser added.

“We are doing everything we can. The government will continue all efforts to bring Sheikh Hasina back. If necessary, international support will be sought,” Mr. Nazrul said.

Under the provisions of the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty, extradition may be refused if the offence is one of a “political character”.

Another clause said a person convicted of an extradition offence may not be extradited unless the person was sentenced to imprisonment or other form of detention for a period of four months or more.

The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power.

India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.

In recent weeks, Ms. Hasina has also accused the Yunus-led interim government of perpetrating “genocide” and failing to protect minorities, especially Hindus, since her ouster.

New Delhi:

India has received the request for extradition of ousted former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from Dhaka, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Friday.

“We had confirmed that we have received request from Bangladeshi side on Hasina’s extradition. Beyond that I have nothing further to add,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in the weekly briefing today.

This development comes after Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, sent a diplomatic note to India’s Foreign Ministry requesting Hasina’s extradition.

Sheikh Hasina, 77, has been living in India since August 5, after fleeing Bangladesh following a massive student-led protest that toppled her 16-year regime. Hasina is currently facing multiple court cases related to fatalities during her rule, including accusations of crimes against humanity.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials.

Speaking further, Jaiswal also emphasised for the fair trial for those, who have been arrested in Bangladesh.

“We expect that those people who have been arrested in Bangladesh must get a fair trial and this is our appeal,” the MEA spokesperson said.

Recently, a court in Chittagong on Thursday refused bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das, a former ISKCON leader, following the hearing held amid tight security today, The Daily Star reported.

The bail request was turned down by Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Saiful Islam after hearing both parties’ arguments, according to Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Advocate Mofizur Haque Bhuiyan.

Chinmoy Das, who is the spokesperson of Sammilita Sanatani Jagrani Jote, was arrested on November 25 last year in charge of sedition.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, is an IT entrepreneur based in the U.S. and has been an ICT adviser in Ms. Hasina’s government. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Sajeeb Wazed, son of deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has accused the Muhammad Yunus led interim government of “weaponising the judiciary” for carrying out a “political witch hunt” against the Awami League leadership.

Mr. Wazed’s allegations, as a long post on X, came two days after the interim government on Monday (December 25, 2024) said it has sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi seeking Ms. Hasina’s extradition from India.

Ms. Hasina (77) has been living in India since August 5 when she fled Bangladesh following a massive student-led protest that toppled her Awami League’s (AL) 16-year regime.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Ms. Hasina and several former Cabinet Ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for “crimes against humanity and genocide.”

“The judges and prosecutors appointed by unelected Yunus led regime to conduct farcical trial process through International Crimes Tribunal makes it a political witch hunt that forsakes justice and marks another ongoing onslaught to persecute Awami League leadership,” Mr. Wazed said in his post on Tuesday (December 24, 2024).

An IT entrepreneur, Mr. Wazed is based in the U.S. and has been an ICT adviser in Ms. Hasina’s government.

“The kangaroo tribunal and subsequent request for extradition comes while hundreds of leaders and activists are extrajudicially killed, framing of outrageous murder charges, illegal incarceration of thousands by law enforcement and violent attacks including looting vandalism and arson going on with impunity everyday fuelled by denial of the regime,” he added.

On Monday (December 23, 2024), India confirmed receiving the ‘note verbale’ or diplomatic communication from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi but refrained from commenting on it.

Under the provisions of the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty, extradition may be refused if the offence is one of a “political character.”

Bangladesh’s de facto Foreign Minister Touhid Hossain said Dhaka wants Ms. Hasina back to face the judicial process.

Mr. Wazed further accused that the chief prosecutor of ICT Tribunal Tajul Islam appointed by Mr. Yunus regime on December 22, despite proven records of defending war criminals, “reportedly spread deliberate disinformation campaign” against Ms. Hasina by claiming that Interpol issued red notice against her, and termed it as “a desperate bid to extradite her and hold farcical trial to serve the interest of Dr. Yunus.”

“But the very prosecutor later altered his statement following media exposure of the outright lie and now officially sent a request to India for the extradition,” Ms. Hasina’s son said.

“We reiterate our position that every single incident of human rights violation between July and August needs to be investigated in a free and fair manner but the Yunus led regime weaponised the judiciary, and we express no confidence in the justice system,” he alleged.

Last month, in an address to the nation on the completion of 100 days of the interim government, Mr. Yunus said Bangladesh will seek Ms. Hasina’s extradition. “We must ensure justice in every killing… We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina,” he had said then.

Mr. Yunus, who assumed office on August 8, claimed that about 1,500 people, including students and workers, were killed while 19,931 others were wounded during the protest against the Ms. Hasina government.

India has expressed concern as there have been a spate of attacks on minorities including on the Hindu community in Bangladesh in the last few months.

In recent weeks, Ms. Hasina has accused the Mr. Yunus-led interim government of perpetrating “genocide” and failing to protect minorities, especially Hindus, since her ouster.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka two weeks back during which he conveyed to the Bangladeshi side India’s concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of minorities.

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
| Photo Credit: AP

Bangladesh’s interim government said on Monday (December 23, 2024) that it has sent a diplomatic note to India to send back deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Dhaka.

Ms. Hasina, 77, has been living in exile in India since August 5 when she fled the country amid the student-led protests that toppled her 16-year regime. Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Ms. Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for “crimes against humanity and genocide”.

“We have sent a note verbale [diplomatic message] to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process,” Foreign Affairs Adviser or de facto Foreign Minister Touhid Hossain told reporters at his office.

Earlier in the morning, Home Advisor Jahangir Alam said his office has sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry to facilitate the ousted premier’s extradition from India.

“We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway,” he told reporters in response to a query.

Mr. Alam said an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi already exists and Ms. Hasina could be brought back to Bangladesh under the treaty.

Sheikh Hasina. File photo
| Photo Credit: AFP

A Bangladeshi tribunal banned broadcasts of “hate speech” by autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina on Thursday (December 5, 2024) , weeks after indicting her over the killing of protesters during the August revolution that ousted her.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is investigating Ms. Hasina for “mass murder”, among other charges, during the weeks of unrest that forced her to flee the country for neighbouring India.

“Sheikh Hasina is accused in several cases currently under investigation by the tribunal,” prosecutor Golam Monawar Hossain Tamim told reporters.

“We sought a ban on disseminating her hate speech as it could hinder legal proceedings or intimidate witnesses and victims,” he said, confirming the ICT had agreed to enact the ban.

“If her speeches continue to circulate, it will become difficult to bring witnesses to the tribunal.”

It was not immediately clear what authority would determine which speeches by Hasina qualified as hateful or how the order would be enforced.

The decision came days after Ms. Hasina addressed a gathering of supporters in New York by videolink, accusing Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus of “mass murder”.

Hundreds of people were killed in the weeks prior to Hasina’s ouster, most by police fire.

Scores more died in the hours after her toppling, largely in reprisal killings against prominent supporters of her Awami League party.

The ICT was set up by Hasina in 2010 to probe atrocities during the country’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

Over the following years it sentenced numerous prominent political opponents to death.

The court was regularly criticised by rights groups for not meeting proper trial standards and became widely seen as a means for Hasina to eliminate her rivals.

The interim government led by Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, has vowed to push for Ms. Hasina’s extradition from India to be tried by the tribunal.

Dhaka:

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said on Sunday that the interim government will seek the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after the fall of her government following a mass protest movement in August.

In an address to the nation on the completion of 100 days of the interim government, Yunus also said that his government has been continuing its all-out efforts to ensure the security of all citizens, including religious minorities.

“We must ensure justice in every killing…We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina,” Yunus was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.

His remarks indicate a U-turn as in an interview with the UK-based Financial Times newspaper last month, Yunus said his government would not immediately seek Hasina’s extradition from India.

Yunus, who assumed office on August 8, claimed that about 1500 people, including students and workers, were killed while 19,931 others were wounded during the protest against the Hasina government.

“Our government is very careful to collect information on every death,” he said, adding that the government made arrangements for treatment of the injured in various specialized hospitals, including 13 hospitals in Dhaka.

Hasina, 77, resigned and fled to India following massive protests by students and others against her government over a controversial quota system in government jobs.

She landed at the Hindon airbase near Delhi on August 5. She was believed to have been shifted later to an unspecified location and has not been seen in public since then.

Hasina and her party leaders face accusations of ordering brutal suppression of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, resulting in numerous casualties during the July-August protests.

Yunus said his government is investigating every incident in a few cases where religious minorities were subjected to violence.

“We have tried our best so that any citizen of the country, not only Hindu community members, doesn’t become a victim of violence. We will continue these efforts,” he said in his address to the nation.

He said Bangladesh was a completely insecure country when the interim government assumed office.

Yunus said an attempt was made to spread unnecessary fear among the religious minorities.

“In some cases, they have also been subjected to violence. But all the hype about it was completely exaggerated. Those little cases of violence that took place were mainly political,” he said.

But ill efforts were made to make the country unstable again by giving religious colour to these events, he said, adding that the government dealt with the situation firmly with the cooperation of all.

He said that after two months of assumption of office by his government, Durga Puja was celebrated in around 32,000 puja mandaps across the country.

He said the government took extensive security preparations during the Durga Puja so that the Hindu community members celebrate the festival smoothly.

Hindus constitute just about 8 per cent of the 170 million Bangladesh population. The minority Hindu community members have faced regular vandalism of their businesses and destruction of temples during and since the protest erupted, resulting in the ouster of Prime Minister Hasina.

Yunus also said that the Election Commission (EC) will be formed soon while an election roadmap will be announced after competing reforms in the electoral system.

“Once the electoral reforms are decided, you will get the election roadmap very soon,” he said.

Noting that there is a question in everyone’s mind about when the elections will be held, Yunus said the government has started taking necessary steps to hold the elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dhaka:

Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said on Sunday that the interim government will seek the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after the fall of her government following a mass protest movement in August.

In an address to the nation on the completion of 100 days of the interim government, Yunus also said that his government has been continuing its all-out efforts to ensure the security of all citizens, including religious minorities.

“We must ensure justice in every killing…We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina,” Yunus was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.

His remarks indicate a U-turn as in an interview with the UK-based Financial Times newspaper last month, Yunus said his government would not immediately seek Hasina’s extradition from India.

Yunus, who assumed office on August 8, claimed that about 1500 people, including students and workers, were killed while 19,931 others were wounded during the protest against the Hasina government.

“Our government is very careful to collect information on every death,” he said, adding that the government made arrangements for treatment of the injured in various specialized hospitals, including 13 hospitals in Dhaka.

Hasina, 77, resigned and fled to India following massive protests by students and others against her government over a controversial quota system in government jobs.

She landed at the Hindon airbase near Delhi on August 5. She was believed to have been shifted later to an unspecified location and has not been seen in public since then.

Hasina and her party leaders face accusations of ordering brutal suppression of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, resulting in numerous casualties during the July-August protests.

Yunus said his government is investigating every incident in a few cases where religious minorities were subjected to violence.

“We have tried our best so that any citizen of the country, not only Hindu community members, doesn’t become a victim of violence. We will continue these efforts,” he said in his address to the nation.

He said Bangladesh was a completely insecure country when the interim government assumed office.

Yunus said an attempt was made to spread unnecessary fear among the religious minorities.

“In some cases, they have also been subjected to violence. But all the hype about it was completely exaggerated. Those little cases of violence that took place were mainly political,” he said.

But ill efforts were made to make the country unstable again by giving religious colour to these events, he said, adding that the government dealt with the situation firmly with the cooperation of all.

He said that after two months of assumption of office by his government, Durga Puja was celebrated in around 32,000 puja mandaps across the country.

He said the government took extensive security preparations during the Durga Puja so that the Hindu community members celebrate the festival smoothly.

Hindus constitute just about 8 per cent of the 170 million Bangladesh population. The minority Hindu community members have faced regular vandalism of their businesses and destruction of temples during and since the protest erupted, resulting in the ouster of Prime Minister Hasina.

Yunus also said that the Election Commission (EC) will be formed soon while an election roadmap will be announced after competing reforms in the electoral system.

“Once the electoral reforms are decided, you will get the election roadmap very soon,” he said.

Noting that there is a question in everyone’s mind about when the elections will be held, Yunus said the government has started taking necessary steps to hold the elections.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)