India had 'almost no other option' but to shelter Hasina in 2024, says envoy Dinesh Trivedi in Dhaka

India's High Commissioner in Dhaka, Dinesh Trivedi, has explained why India gave refuge to Sheikh Hasina. He was speaking at the international Bay of Bengal Conversation held in Dhaka, and he gave the clarification on behalf of the Indian embassy.

Relations between India and Bangladesh are going through a sensitive phase. In August 2024, a intense student movement and political upheaval took place in Bangladesh. Hasina, then Prime Minister, decided to leave the country, and she has since been living in self-exile in India. Her stay in India had prompted many questions and claims in Dhaka's new political circles.

Trivedi said the situation in August 2024 was unprecedented and an emergency. Hasina was then Bangladesh's constitutional Prime Minister. He said that, as a responsible neighbour, it was India's duty to give her temporary refuge at such a grave moment. India had "almost no other option available" at the time, he said.

Trivedi said there is no preparation for such sudden situations. "If we had said 'no' then, 'we will not accept this or let the plane land in India', it is impossible to imagine what would have happened next," he said. His remarks conveyed that India's priority during a political crisis in a neighbouring country was to accept reality in order to maintain peace and stability.

Trivedi also addressed rumours about how Hasina came to India. He said she was not brought from Bangladesh to India by the Indian Air Force (IAF) or the Indian Army, and rejected claims of military intervention outright. The conference had been inaugurated by Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, but Rahman was not on the stage while the High Commissioner spoke.

Calls for extradition have been made before. After the change of power in August 2024, the interim government led by Dr Muhammad Yunus had pressed for Hasina's extradition. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government led by Tarique Rahman, which came to power earlier this year, has repeated the demand. Hasina's presence in India has caused some strain in relations between New Delhi and Dhaka.

India has nonetheless continued its efforts to restore ties with the new government. Meanwhile, there have been reports that Hasina has expressed a wish to return to Bangladesh later and face the legal process there. This has revived discussion in diplomatic circles.

Asked about extradition, Trivedi said the legal process is under way and people should be assured of it. He also said that, like Bangladesh, India is a living democracy.