Bangladesh presses India to extradite Sheikh Hasina in envoy's first Dhaka talks

Bangladesh asked India to expedite Sheikh Hasina's extradition during envoy Dinesh Trivedi's first meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The exchange underscored strained ties even as both sides kept dialogue open on security and pending extradition cases.Stock photo used for illustrationBangladesh on Monday again asked India to expedite the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina during Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi's first meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka, as ties between the two countries remain strained. The Bangladesh prime minister's office said the meeting also covered a range of important bilateral issues.According to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said India wanted to work with the Bangladesh government and people in a "positive, constructive and forward-looking manner". The talks took place amid speculation that Rahman, who has been invited to the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 12-13, may skip the event.In a statement, the Bangladesh PMO said, "Bangladesh hopes that India will expedite the process of extraditing Sheikh Hasina." It added, "The meeting covered a range of important bilateral issues between Bangladesh and India. The prime minister stressed the need to create a suitable environment to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries." The meeting lasted around half an hour.Monday's meeting was Trivedi's first courtesy call on Rahman, more than six weeks after he took charge as India's High Commissioner in Dhaka with the status of a Union Minister. Trivedi, a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, is the first politician to hold the post. The latest strain in ties follows Hasina's virtual media interaction from New Delhi on August 5, in which she said she was determined to return home in December to put the country on the "right track" by restoring democracy, despite the risk of imprisonment or a death sentence. Bangladesh reacted sharply, saying the event had hurt the sentiments of its people and could affect efforts to improve ties with India. It described Hasina as an "absconding, convicted genocider".India's Ministry of External Affairs said on August 7 that it had no role in the media event involving Hasina and that it does not endorse anything said at the forum about the Bangladesh government. Hasina was ousted in August 2024 after violent student-led protests and fled to India. In November 2025, a special tribunal in Bangladesh sentenced her to death in absentia over alleged "crimes against humanity" during the crackdown on protesters. Dhaka has since been seeking her extradition, while the Bangladesh government has maintained that she will have to surrender and face the law if she returns. During the meeting, Rahman also raised the issue of extraditing those accused in the murder of student leader Osman Hadi last year. The PMO said, "Bangladesh reiterated its request to India to return the killers involved in the murder of Shahid Osman Hadi." Hadi, a prominent activist during the student-led movement that ousted Hasina in 2024, was killed in an attack in December 2025, triggering renewed political tensions in Bangladesh.The matter has gained importance because three suspects in the case were arrested in India in March and are now in judicial custody in West Bengal. India has agreed to extradite them to Bangladesh after due process. After meeting the prime minister, Trivedi also paid a courtesy call on Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday. The Indian mission said their discussions focused on bilateral ties and areas of common interest, including security cooperation. Ahmed had earlier said India could not pursue friendly ties with Dhaka while giving refuge to Hasina. Trivedi met Foreign Affairs Minister Khalilur Rahman on Sunday, though neither side shared details of that meeting.The engagements come amid an uneasy reset in relations after Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power in February, following a period of strained ties under the interim government over issues including Hasina's extradition, border matters and Dhaka's foreign policy tilt towards China. On Sunday, Trivedi said a meeting between Rahman and Modi could help address the problems in bilateral ties. "When two leaders meet, a lot of problems are solved. I have full confidence [about the problem resolution through the meeting]," he said.Overall, the meetings in Dhaka underlined Bangladesh's renewed push on Hasina's extradition, its demand for the return of suspects in the Osman Hadi murder case, and both sides' attempt to keep channels open on bilateral ties and security cooperation.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 10, 2026 16:24 IST