India has firmly denied any role in organizing an upcoming virtual address by former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The former leader, currently living in self-imposed exile in New Delhi, is scheduled to speak via videolink at a media-hosted event next week. This speech coincides with the second anniversary of the protests that led to her removal in 2024.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs made it clear that the event is a private affair with no government backing. The spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, stated at a news briefing in New Delhi that the gathering is being arranged by a private media outlet and that the Indian government does not support or take responsibility for the views expressed at such forums.
Bangladesh's diplomatic push
The Bangladeshi government has taken the issue to New Delhi, seeking clarifications on India’s stance regarding Hasina’s address. M Humayun Kabir, an adviser to the current prime minister in Dhaka, recently met with the Indian high commissioner to protest against the planned event. Bangladesh’s foreign ministry said it was “outraged” Hasina had been allowed to participate in the event, where it said she and her allies launched “venomous vitriol” against Bangladesh and its people. “This interaction by Hasina on Indian soil stands as an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh,” the ministry said. Dhaka also renewed its demands for India to extradite Hasina.
Relations have already been strained since July 2024, when student-led protests overthrew Hasina’s government. Bangladesh, which once had close ties with her, has since demanded Hasina’s extradition from India. The Indian government continues to host her despite ongoing legal and political pressure from Dhaka. Hasina said she was ready to face whatever fate awaited her in Bangladesh where her Awami League party is now banned. “They may put me in a cell. They may kill me. Anything may happen, but I still have to go,” the 78-year-old said via audio link. “My life moved beyond calculations of personal safety long ago.”
As part of its efforts to contain the fallout, Bangladesh has also banned local media from broadcasting or publishing any details of Hasina’s upcoming speech. The government claims this decision aligns with laws that restrict the visibility of Hasina’s public statements, interviews, and other forms of communication within the country. Hasina’s political party, the Awami League, has strongly criticized the media ban, calling it an attempt to suppress free expression and intimidate journalists. They accused the Bangladeshi government of using public funds to hire PR agencies to spread misinformation and deny the event will happen.
Hasina’s legal battle
Hasina is currently facing a death sentence in Bangladesh, which was issued in 2025 for crimes against humanity during her crackdown on the protests that deposed her. Hasina has rejected the verdict as legally invalid and has indicated her intention to return to Bangladesh by December. She plans to present herself in court to address the charges directly. Hasina was sentenced in absentia to death by hanging over her government’s deadly crackdown on the uprising. She said she wanted to return in December because it marked Bangladesh’s “month of victory”, commemorating Pakistan’s defeat in the 1971 independence war. She claimed thousands of Awami League activists had been killed or jailed since her downfall.
Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, along with other Awami League supporters, has reaffirmed the event will proceed as planned. Despite Dhaka’s objections and threats, the organizers say they will go ahead with the address. India has not shown signs of cooperating with Bangladesh’s request for extradition, and New Delhi appears to be continuing its support for the exiled leader. Her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy stoked the diplomatic row by extolling India’s hospitality. “She’s being treated very well and has been provided with the full services and security accorded to a head of state,” he said. “Prime Minister Modi’s government has shown her the utmost respect.”
The event is expected to be highly symbolic. It will mark Hasina’s first public appearance in over two years, following her escape from Dhaka. The gathering is hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia, a regional body, and will include other speakers besides Hasina and her son. Hasina was joined at the event by Shakib Al Hasan, a former national cricket captain. Hours later unidentified attackers hurled petrol bombs and smashed windows at his home in Bangladesh, but nobody was hurt, police said. Shakib, elected to parliament as an Awami League candidate, has remained outside Bangladesh since Hasina’s overthrow.
This standoff between India and Bangladesh highlights the growing diplomatic tensions between the two nations. Hasina remains a focal point, as both sides navigate the political and legal complexities of her ongoing presence in New Delhi and her eventual return to Bangladesh.