Bangladesh seeks Hasina's extradition again as India's envoy meets PM Rahman

PTI, Dhaka, AUgust 10, 2026 : Bangladesh on Monday once again sought the extradition of former premier Sheikh Hasina from India during High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi's first meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka, amid fresh strains in ties between the two countries.

The meeting also "covered a range of important bilateral issues", the Bangladesh Prime Minister's office said in a statement.

According to a post on X by the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's intent to work with the Bangladesh government and people in a "positive, constructive and forward-looking manner".

Rahman also met Bangladesh Home Affairs Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Monday, and Foreign Affairs Minister Khalilur Rahman on Sunday.

The meetings took place amid speculations that Rahman, who has been invited by India to attend the BRICS summit in New Delhi, may skip the event scheduled for September 12-13.

Relations between India and Bangladesh have witnessed strain after Hasina virtually addressed the press on August 5 in New Delhi, where she said she is determined to return home in December to put the country on the "right track" by restoring democracy, notwithstanding the risk of facing the threat of imprisonment or a death sentence.

Bangladesh expressed outrage over the media interaction, saying the event had hurt the sentiments of its people and could adversely affect efforts to improve bilateral ties with India.

They described Hasina as an "absconding, convicted genocider".

However, India's Ministry of External Affairs on August 7 said that it had no role in the media event concerning Hasina and it does not endorse anything said at the forum about the Bangladesh government. 

“Bangladesh hopes that India will expedite the process of extraditing Sheikh Hasina,” said the Bangladesh PMO statement on Monday.

“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,” it said after the meeting, which lasted for around half an hour.

Trivedi’s meeting with Rahman was his first courtesy call with the Prime Minister, more than six weeks after he joined as India’s High Commissioner in Dhaka with the status of a Union Minister. Trivedi, a senior leader of India's ruling BJP, is the first politician to occupy this diplomatic position.

During Monday’s meeting, Rahman also took up the matter pertaining to the extradition of the accused in the case of student-leader Osman Hadi’s murder last year.

“Bangladesh reiterated its request to India to return the killers involved in the murder of Shahid Osman Hadi,” the statement said.

Hadi, a prominent activist during the student-led movement that ousted Hasina in 2024, was killed in an attack in December 2025 that triggered renewed political tensions in Bangladesh.

The issue assumed significance as three suspects in the case were arrested in India in March and are currently in judicial custody in West Bengal. India has agreed to extradite the suspects back to Bangladesh following the due process.

After meeting the Prime Minister, Trivedi on Monday paid a courtesy call on home minister Salahuddin Ahmed, with the discussions focusing on furthering bilateral relations and areas of common interest, including security cooperation between the two countries, the Indian mission said.

Ahmed had earlier warned that India could not simultaneously pursue friendly relations with Dhaka while giving refuge to Hasina.

The details of the meeting between Trivedi and Bangladeshi foreign minister Khalilur Rahman were not shared by any of the sides.

The latest diplomatic engagement comes against the backdrop of an uneasy reset in India-Bangladesh ties after Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party came to power in February, following a period of strained relations under the interim government over issues that include Hasina's extradition, border-related matters and Dhaka's foreign policy tilt towards China.