Legal Process Underway to Extradite Sheikh Hasina: Dinesh Trivedi

India’s High Commissioner to Dhaka, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi, answered several questions yesterday at a session in the Grand Ballroom at the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026. He spoke about the ongoing legal process to send Ms. Sheikh Hasina back to Bangladesh and how she went to India. He also explained India’s position on the depth of India Bangladesh ties and on mutual security.

In his speech, he said the ties between the two countries should not be seen only as a matter of give and take or security. He said they should be judged on history, culture and the trust of the people. On sending Ms. Sheikh Hasina back, he said a legal process is ongoing. The spokesperson of India’s Foreign Ministry has made India’s position clear many times. He said the matter is in a legal and well organised process, and the court is also part of it. So he cannot give any time limit for sending her back.

He said the same about handing over the killers of Mr. Osman Hadi. He said that to answer this question, one must first look back at history, because the present process continues from that historical reality.

On how Ms. Sheikh Hasina went to India, the High Commissioner made it clear that the Indian Air Force or Army did not take her to India. He said she came to India because of the tragic situation that had arisen in Bangladesh at that time. He hopes such a situation never happens anywhere in the world again, where innocent people must face such conditions.

He said a military plane came to India at that time, and India was not ready for such a situation. He was watching television himself, and a news scroll said Ms. Sheikh Hasina was going to another country. At that moment, she was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. So India did not have many choices in that situation.

He said that as a neighbour, it was India’s duty to accept the reality of that time. He said sometimes such situations arise that no country can prepare for in advance. If India had said it would not accept Ms. Sheikh Hasina, or would not even allow the plane to land, it is hard to say where things would have ended up.

He called it the historical reality of that time. He said the present legal process is moving at its own pace. He said Bangladesh is a lively democratic country, and its people respect the rule of law and the justice system. India is also a lively democratic country, and it respects its own legal process in the same way.

Answering a question on Bangladesh’s security, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi said Bangladesh is a free and sovereign country. He said it understands its own security better than any other country. He said there is no reason to tell Bangladesh what to do. The government and people of Bangladesh have the right to decide on their own interests and security.

He said there is no question of Bangladesh interfering with India’s security. He said India has full trust in the people of Bangladesh. He said the people of Bangladesh will also understand that interference with India’s security will never come up.

He said India’s ties with Bangladesh do not depend on Bangladesh’s ties with any other country. He said whatever ties Bangladesh keeps with other countries, it has the right to protect the interests of its own people. India also has the right to protect its own interests. He said it is important for good neighbours to respect each other’s dignity and honour.

He said India Bangladesh ties should not be seen only as a give and take relationship. He said the ties between the two countries are much wider than that. They carry deep cultural and historical bonds.

Mentioning that he comes from West Bengal, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi said that as a person from eastern India, he understands well the historical and cultural bonds between Bangladesh and India. He said this cultural bond between the two countries is very strong and basic. He said it is hard for the outside world to fully understand the India Bangladesh relationship.

He said there is Nazrulgeeti on one side and Rabindrasangeet on the other. He added that Mr. Rabindranath Tagore wrote the national anthems of both countries. He said such a bond shows the unique depth of the ties between the two countries.

He said security ties and give and take ties are not the same. He said the people of Bangladesh are very wise, and they also take India’s security seriously. So he does not think a situation will come in the future where Bangladesh gives India any reason for concern about its security.

On differences in India Bangladesh ties, he said that just as problems or differences sometimes arise in a family, some issues can arise between two countries too. He said having no problems at all is not a feature of democracy. He said differences will always exist in a democracy.

He said the only way to solve these problems is dialogue, discussion, consultation and mutual contact. He said trust is the base of this dialogue. He said no problem in a relationship can be solved by keeping distance.

He said the India Bangladesh relationship is always an ongoing process. He sees the love and warmth of the people of both countries. So he believes the main base of the ties between the two countries remains strong.