India still non-committal on extraditing Sheikh Hasina; Says "we remain committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh"

India on Wednesday again said the "request" from Bangladesh on extraditing former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is "being examined" and New Delhi remains "committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh".  

MEA spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said: "The request is being examined as part of ongoing judicial and internal legal processes".

He also said : 

"We remain committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country".   

The response came as Bangladesh has asked India to extradite the former Prime Minister Hasina, who was recently sentenced to death in absentia over July 2024 crackdown against a student-led uprising.

Touhid Hossain, who holds the foreign affairs portfolio in Bangladesh’s interim administration, on Sunday said Dhaka had sent a letter urging New Delhi to hand over the fugitive ex-leader. Hasina is in India since Aug 5, 2024 when her regime was ousted.  

A special International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka convicted Hasina of crimes against humanity. 

Hasina, 78, has been in hiding in India – her close ally when she was the prime minister of Bangladesh for 15 years.

The mass uprising in August 2024 has claimed over 1,400 deaths, according to the United Nations.

New Delhi's first reaction on Death sentence 

On Nov 26th, MEA spokesman Jaiswal also stated that New Dehli will "continue to engage constructively in this regard with all stakeholders".  

Following the court ruling, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that India had an “obligatory responsibility” under a bilateral extradition treaty signed in 2013 to facilitate the former leader’s return.

The ministry said keeping Hasina is a “grave act of unfriendly behaviour”, and called it “a travesty of justice for any other country to grant asylum to these individuals convicted of crimes against humanity”.  

From New Delhi's point of view; things may be tricky. There is always a need for a new dynamism in the Indo-Bangladesh ties. Come what may - an interim regime or even army rule; the Modi Govt's top most priority in Bangladesh is always to ensure that no one can or no militant group from northeast could use Bangladeshi territory for activities harmful to India.

India on Wednesday dismissed Pakistan’s comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation at the Ram temple flag-hoisting ceremony in Ayodhya, with "the contempt they deserve”.  

"We have seen the reported remarks and reject them with the contempt they deserve. 

"As a country with a deeply stained record of bigotry, repression, and systemic mistreatment of its minorities. 

"Pakistan has no moral standing to lecture others. Rather than delivering   hypocritical homilies, Pakistan would do better to turn its gaze inwards and focus on its own abysmal human rights record", the MEA spokesman said.

In his speech at Ayodhya, PM Modi said democracy was deeply rooted in India’s civilisational fabric and highlighted the government’s commitment to inclusive development. 

He said, “Ram does not discriminate, and the government is also moving forward with the same spirit,” and also urged ing citizens to uphold unity as the nation moves toward Viksit Bharat. 

Modi also called the ceremony the fulfilment of a 500 year old resolve and asserted that Ayodhya will emerge as a rising centre where spirituality and modernity  would converge.  

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