Bangladesh PM seeks Hasina's extradition in meeting with Indian envoy

Bangladesh has intensified its call for the extradition of former premier Sheikh Hasina from India, a key point of discussion during Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi's inaugural meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, as diplomatic tensions simmer over Hasina's recent controversial media interaction.

Bangladesh on Monday once again sought the extradition of former premier Sheikh Hasina from India during High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi's first meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka, amid fresh strains in ties between the two countries.

The meeting also 'covered a range of important bilateral issues', the Bangladesh prime minister's office said in a statement.

According to a post on X by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's intent to work with the Bangladesh government and people in a 'positive, constructive and forward-looking manner'.

Rahman also met Bangladesh Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday, and Foreign Affairs Minister Khalilur Rahman on Sunday.

The meetings took place amid speculations that Rahman, who has been invited by India to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi, may skip the event scheduled for September 12-13.

Diplomatic Tensions Over Hasina's Statements

Relations between India and Bangladesh have witnessed strain after Hasina virtually addressed the press on August 5 in New Delhi, where she said she is determined to return home in December to put the country on the 'right track' by restoring democracy, notwithstanding the risk of facing the threat of imprisonment or a death sentence.

Bangladesh expressed outrage over the media interaction, saying the event had hurt the sentiments of its people and could adversely affect efforts to improve bilateral ties with India.

They described Hasina as an 'absconding, convicted genocider'.

However, India's Ministry of External Affairs on August 7 said that it had no role in the media event concerning Hasina and it does not endorse anything said at the forum about the Bangladesh government.

"Bangladesh hopes that India will expedite the process of extraditing Sheikh Hasina," said the Bangladesh PMO statement on Monday.

"The meeting covered a range of important bilateral issues between Bangladesh and India. The prime minister stressed the need to create a suitable environment to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries," it said after the meeting, which lasted for around half an hour.

High-Level Engagements and Extradition Requests

Trivedi's meeting with Rahman was his first courtesy call with the prime minister, more than six weeks after he joined as India's High Commissioner in Dhaka with the status of a Union Minister.

Trivedi, a senior leader of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, is the first politician to occupy this diplomatic position.

During Monday's meeting, Rahman also took up the matter pertaining to the extradition of the accused in the case of student-leader Osman Hadi's murder last year.

"Bangladesh reiterated its request to India to return the killers involved in the murder of Shahid Osman Hadi," the statement said.

Hadi, a prominent activist during the student-led movement that ousted Hasina in 2024, was killed in an attack in December 2025 that triggered renewed political tensions in Bangladesh.

The issue assumed significance as three suspects in the case were arrested in India in March and are currently in judicial custody in West Bengal.

India has agreed to extradite the suspects back to Bangladesh following the due process.

Hasina was ousted in August 2024 following violent student-led protests and fled to India.

In November 2025, she was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Bangladesh over alleged 'crimes against humanity' during the crackdown on protesters.

Dhaka has since been seeking her extradition from India.

The Bangladesh government maintains that Hasina shall have to surrender and face the law if she returns.

Future of India-Bangladesh Ties

After meeting the prime minister, Trivedi on Monday paid a courtesy call on home minister Salahuddin Ahmed, with the discussions focusing on furthering bilateral relations and areas of common interest, including security cooperation between the two countries, the Indian mission said.

Ahmed had earlier warned that India could not simultaneously pursue friendly relations with Dhaka while giving refuge to Hasina.

The details of the meeting between Trivedi and Bangladeshi foreign minister Khalilur Rahman were not shared by any of the sides.

The latest diplomatic engagement comes against the backdrop of an uneasy reset in India-Bangladesh ties after Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power in February, following a period of strained relations under the interim government over issues that include Hasina's extradition, border-related matters and Dhaka's foreign policy tilt towards China.

Trivedi on Sunday said a meeting between Rahman and Modi could help resolve problems in bilateral ties.

"When two leaders meet, a lot of problems are solved. I have full confidence [about the problem resolution through the meeting]," he said.

Background

Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi held his first meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties amidst recent diplomatic strains sparked by former premier Sheikh Hasina's controversial virtual media interaction in New Delhi.

The meeting follows Bangladesh's outrage over former premier Sheikh Hasina's virtual media interaction in New Delhi, where she vowed to return to Bangladesh despite facing a death sentence. Bangladesh views Hasina's statements as an affront and has described her as an 'absconding, convicted genocider', seeking her extradition from India.

India's Ministry of External Affairs clarified it had no role in Hasina's media event and does not endorse statements made about the Bangladesh government.

Trivedi expressed confidence that a meeting between PM Rahman and Indian PM Narendra Modi could help resolve bilateral issues.