'Request being examined': MEA on Bangladesh's request to India for Sheikh Hasina's extradition

Sheikh Hasina

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday spoke about Bangladesh's request to India for the extradition of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said that the "request is being examined".

"Yes, we have received that request, and the request is being examined... We remain committed to the people of Bangladesh... We will continue to engage constructively in this regard with all the stakeholders," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Wednesday, during a media briefing.

This comes three days after Bangladesh's interim government sent an "official letter" to India seeking the extradition of Hasina after a special tribunal sentenced her to death.

"The letter was sent the day before yesterday," Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency. However, no further information was given on the topic.

On Nov 17, the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) sentenced 78-year-old Hasina to death along with then home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on charges of committing “crimes against humanity” after their trial in absentia. Hasina is currently in India. Kamal is believed to be hiding in India.

After the verdict against Hasina, the External Affairs Ministry issued a statement saying “India has noted the verdict…" “As a close neighbour, India remains committed to the best interests of the people of Bangladesh, including in peace, democracy, inclusion and stability in that country. We will always engage constructively with all stakeholders to that end,” the statement said.

Hasina’s Awami League government was toppled in a student-led violent protest termed as the ‘July Uprising’ on August 5 last year.

Three days later, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus flew from Paris at the call of the protesting students to assume the charge of the interim government as its chief adviser.

Hasina and the two others were accused of adopting brutal means to tame the protestors, while a UN rights office report said about 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 last year.

(With PTI inputs)