Bangladesh has officially requested India to return former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on August 5 following her removal from power by a student-led movement.
The request was conveyed through a “note verbale” to the Indian government, as confirmed by Touhid Hossain, the Foreign Affairs Adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, according to local media.
“We have sent a note verbale to India requesting the return of Sheikh Hasina,” Hossain told reporters.
On August 5, widespread student protests and clashes, which claimed over 600 lives, resulted in the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, 76. Following her departure, an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was established.
Previously, on December 9, Sheikh Hasina accused Yunus, the Chief Adviser of the interim government, of orchestrating the student protests that led to her removal. She alleged the unrest was part of a “meticulously designed” plan to overthrow her administration.
Speaking at a virtual meeting with the United Kingdom Awami League, Hasina argued that despite the government addressing all the protesters’ demands, unrest persisted across the country, indicating a deliberate conspiracy.
“Yunus himself admitted that the student protest, which began on July 7, 2024, was not spontaneous but a calculated effort to remove me from power,” Hasina claimed. “He masterminded the conspiracy because, even after fulfilling all demands, protests continued nationwide. It was a carefully planned overthrow.”
