Dhaka/New Delhi: Bangladesh’s interim government on Monday said it has sent a diplomatic note to New Delhi seeking the extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India, a move that may further strain the ties between the two countries.
India confirmed receiving the ‘note verbale’ or diplomatic communication from the Bangladesh high commission in New Delhi but refrained from commenting on it.
Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister Touhid Hossain said Dhaka wants Hasina back to face the judicial process.
“We have sent a note verbale to the Indian government saying that Bangladesh wants her back here for the judicial process,” Hossain told reporters in Dhaka.
In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We confirm that we have received a Note Verbale from the Bangladesh High Commission today in connection with an extradition request.”
“At this time, we have no comment to offer on this matter,” he said, in response to a question.
Hasina, 77, has been living in India since Aug 5 when she fled the country following a massive student-led protest that toppled her 16-year regime.
Bangladesh-based International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former Cabinet ministers, advisers, and military and civil officials for “crimes against humanity and genocide”.
Under the provisions of the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty, extradition may be refused if the offence is one of a “political character”.
Another clause said a person convicted of an extradition offence may not be extradited unless the person was sentenced to imprisonment or other form of detention for a period of four months or more.
The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus came to power.
India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.
Earlier on Monday, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam said his office sent a letter to the foreign ministry to facilitate the ousted premier’s extradition from India.
“We have sent a letter to the foreign ministry regarding her extradition. The process is currently underway,” he told reporters in response to a query.
Alam said an extradition treaty between Dhaka and New Delhi already exists and Hasina could be brought back to Bangladesh under it.
Last month, in an address to the nation on the completion of 100 days of the interim government, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Yunus said it will seek the extradition of Hasina.
“We must ensure justice in every killing… We will also ask India to send back fallen autocrat Sheikh Hasina,” he said.
Yunus, who assumed office on August 8, claimed that about 1,500 people, including students and workers, were killed while 19,931 others were wounded during the protest against the Hasina government.
In October, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul had reportedly said that Bangladesh would strongly protest if India tried to refuse Hasina’s extradition by citing any provision in the treaty.
In an interview with PTI in Dhaka in September, Yunus had said that Hasina making political remarks from India is an “unfriendly gesture”, asserting that she must remain silent to prevent discomfort to both countries until Dhaka requests her extradition.
“If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet,” he said.
In recent weeks, Hasina has accused the Yunus-led interim government of perpetrating “genocide” and failing to protect minorities, especially Hindus, since her ouster.
There have been a spate of attacks on minorities including on the Hindu community in Bangladesh in the last few months.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka two weeks back during which he conveyed to the Bangladeshi side India’s concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of minorities.
