Bangladesh requests India to send Sheikh Hasina back

Dhaka: Bangladesh has officially requested India to send back former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on August 5 after a student-led movement ousted her from power.

The request was made through a "note verbale" to the Indian government, Bangladesh's Interim government's Foreign Affairs Adviser, Touhid Hossain said, according to local media reports. 

"We have sent a note verbale to India requesting to send Sheikh Hasina back," Touhid Hossain told reporters. 

On August 5, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people. Hasina, 76, fled to India and an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed.

Earlier on December 9, Sheikh Hasina accused the Chief Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government, Muhammad Yunus, of being the "mastermind" behind the student protests that led to her ouster, while further alleging that the protest was "meticulously designed" to overthrow her government.

While addressing a virtual meeting of the United Kingdom Awami League, Hasina claimed that despite all the demands of the protesters being met, the unrest continued across the nation, suggesting that it was a planned conspiracy.

Hasina accused Yunus of being the "mastermind" behind the protests that led to her removal, alleging that the protests were "meticulously designed" to overthrow her government.

"Yunus himself said that the student protest that started on July 7, 2024, was not student-initiated but a meticulously designed protest to overthrow me...He was the mastermind who started this conspiracy because all the demands were met, and there was no scope for protest, despite there being protests across the nation...It was a meticulous conspiracy," Hasina claimed.

She further criticised the interim government for its handling of the situation in the country, calling it "fascist" and saying that the people of Bangladesh were being "deprived" of their rights.

"Today Bangladesh is going through a tough time. Under a fascist government, the people of Bangladesh have been deprived of their rights. The whole of Bangladesh is burning...Today, Bangladesh is being destroyed," she added.

The ousted Prime Minister further noted the recent arrest of former ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das over the alleged charges of sedition by the Bangladeshi government, stating that he couldn't have any lawyer to defend Das against the charges and claimed that this was proof that Bangladesh does not have any law and order.

"They arrested Chinmoy Krishna Das and said there couldn't be any kind of lawyer defending him. What kind of justice is this?...This proves that Bangladesh doesn't have law and order," she added.

The situation in Bangladesh remains tense, with Hasina criticizing the interim government for its handling of the situation, calling it "fascist" and claiming that the people of Bangladesh are being deprived of their rights. The international community is watching the developments closely, with many concerned about the implications of Hasina's potential extradition.