Bangladesh tells India it wants ex-PM Hasina back for ‘judicial process’ 

Bangladesh has told India it wants former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to New Delhi in August, back in the country for “judicial process”, says the acting head of the country’s foreign ministry.

“We sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that the Bangladesh government wants her [Hasina] back here for judicial process,” Touhid Hossain told reporters on Monday, referring to diplomatic correspondence between the two countries.

Hossain did not elaborate on the judicial process.

“We confirm that we have received a note verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request. At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter,” the official spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs said.

Ties between the South Asian neighbours, who have strong trade and cultural links, have become fraught since Hasina was deposed following violent protests against her rule and she took refuge across the border.

The head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has demanded that India send Hasina back so that Bangladesh can try her for what it says are crimes against protesters and her opponents, and crimes she is accused of committing during her tenure over the past 15 years.

Yunus has also been upset with Hasina for criticising his administration from New Delhi.

Dhaka’s request to New Delhi came two weeks after India’s foreign secretary visited Bangladesh and the two countries said they hoped to mend relations.

Hasina faces numerous charges, including crimes against humanity, genocide, and murder, among others, all of which she has denied.

Dozens of Hasina’s allies have been taken into custody since her regime collapsed in August, accused of involvement in a police crackdown that killed more than 750 people, mostly youth, during the unrest that led to her removal.

Hasina has also called for an investigation into the killings, saying many deaths may have involved others beyond security agencies.

The Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and her close aides, and the government has sought help from the international police organisation Interpol for her arrest.

Separately, Bangladesh on Monday launched a probe into the alleged embezzlement of $5bn, connected to a Russian-backed nuclear power plant – the Rooppur nuclear plant, by Hasina and her family, the country’s anticorruption commission said.

“The claims of kickbacks, mismanagement, money laundering, and potential abuse of power raise significant concerns about the integrity of the project and the use of public funds,” the commission said.