The Bangladesh government has expressed its displeasure over India allowing its deposed former Prime Minister to hold a live media interaction in New Delhi on Wednesday. In a press statement released on Wednesday, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Bangladesh is outraged that the absconding convicted genocider Sheikh Hasina was allowed this evening to engage in live interaction with the media in New Delhi where she and her henchmen launched venomous vitriol against the State of Bangladesh and her people.”
Hasina to return to Bangladesh in December
Hasina, who was forced to flee Bangladesh in August 2024 amid the students’ protests, has been living in exile in India ever since. Though she was convicted in absentia of crimes against humanity and in November 2025 by the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka, Hasina has insisted that she would return to Bangladesh. Since the verdict, Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her to face the law.
On Wednesday, Hasina said she is determined to return home in December to put the country on the “right track” by restoring democracy.
Quick answers to key questions
What was Bangladesh’s reaction to Sheikh Hasina’s press conference in Delhi?⌵
The Bangladesh government expressed outrage, stating that the event was detrimental to bilateral relations and an affront to the country’s sovereignty.
Why was Sheikh Hasina’s media interaction in New Delhi controversial?⌵
It was controversial because Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Ministry claimed it insulted the martyrs of the July Revolution and compromised national dignity.
How did Sheikh Hasina justify her intention to return to Bangladesh?⌵
Hasina insisted that her return is crucial to restoring democracy in Bangladesh and alleviating the suffering of her countrymen.
What allegations did Sheikh Hasina make regarding the protests leading to her ousting?⌵
She claimed that the student protests were manipulated by organized groups aiming for regime change, rather than being a simple demand for reform.
Should India extradite Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh?⌵
Bangladesh has been urging India to extradite Hasina under the 2013 Extradition Treaty, considering her a convicted criminal facing charges of crimes against humanity.
“Whatever fate awaits me, I will return to my people. I cannot stay away while my beloved countrymen are suffering,” she said.
Hasina said the present situation in Bangladesh is very disturbing. “Fear has entered homes, workplaces, and educational campuses; this is not the Bangladesh we built.”
She said Bangladesh’s crisis is not only a domestic challenge, as it can affect regional peace, security, trade, development and human dignity.
“That is why I call upon the international community and all the friends of Bangladesh to stand with the people of Bangladesh in their struggle for democracy, justice and peace,” she said.
Insult to July Revolution martyrs: Bangladesh
Responding to the comments made by Hasina, Bangladesh’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said that on a day when the people are observing the second anniversary of the July Revolution, the media interaction by the Awami League leader “on the Indian soil stands as an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh,” and a grievous insult to the “martyrs of the July Revolution.”
“The denial of facts established by the United Nations, including gruesome killing of the innocent civilians including minor children during July-August 2024 by the fascist regime, stands as a futile attempt by the absconding convicted mass murderer Hasina and her criminal cohort to reverse the tide of history. The people of Bangladesh had already rejected such heinous attempts in the past and continue to do so now,” the Foreign Ministry said.
“Dhaka deeply regrets that in spite of concerns conveyed a priori to the Government of India about the likely ramifications of this event on the reset of our bilateral relations, this public event was permitted to be held,” the statement added.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Bangladesh’s “repeated requests to the Government of India for returning convicted criminal Hasina to Bangladesh under the Extradition Treaty signed between Bangladesh and India in 2013, has not yet elicited a response.”
