New Delhi: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been residing in India since her ouster on August 5 final yr. She stays in New Delhi on a residence allow, which supplies her authorized cowl for a long-term safety. Dhaka has requested for her extradition after its Worldwide Crimes Tribunal sentenced her to loss of life on November 17 for “violent suppression of pupil protests”. India has responded to the request, and her keep continues with out a outlined finish date.
Her arrival in India adopted the sudden collapse of her authorities. Dhaka witnessed giant student-led protests that grew throughout universities and metropolis streets. Places of work shut down in a number of districts, and state establishments struggled to operate. The strain on her administration reached some extent the place resignation grew to become unavoidable. She stepped down, left her official residence and fled the nation along with her sister inside hours on a helicopter to India, arriving in Delhi by way of Agartala.
When the tribunal in Bangladesh introduced the decision, India adopted a measured tone. Officers stated New Delhi was conscious of the choice and reiterated India’s curiosity within the well-being of the folks of Bangladesh. Statements from the Ministry of Exterior Affairs (MEA) talked about peace, democracy, inclusion and stability as priorities within the area. With out expressing any place on extradition and outlining any future step, the ministry stated India would proceed to talk with all stakeholders.
New Delhi has not accepted the extradition request positioned by the interim authorities in Bangladesh. It has not made any dedication about what it intends to do subsequent. Bangladesh had despatched a proper request for her extradition in December final yr as effectively, however India didn’t moved ahead on it. The state of affairs stays unchanged even after the tribunal’s ruling. The sentence introduced in Dhaka doesn’t affect the tempo at which India handles the matter.
The Residence Allow
Bangladesh has already cancelled her diplomatic passport in December 2024, and this motion didn’t have an effect on her standing in India. The residence allow stays legitimate and in January this yr, India prolonged her visa on technical grounds. The step later functioned as an unbiased residence allow with a personality totally different from a daily visa.
She has been given a protected authorities residence in New Delhi, and the safety round that deal with stays strict. She has been knowledgeable that she could proceed to remain for so long as she needs.
Political Asylum?
Her cancelled passport ended all questions associated to visas. India continued to recognise her presence beneath the residence allow. Authorized specialists say the extradition treaty between the 2 international locations permits India to say no requests in political circumstances or in issues that contain loss of life sentences.
Her keep within the nation resembles political asylum in some ways, though India doesn’t use that time period and treats the matter with cautious diplomacy.
Her standing now will depend on one pending resolution. India should determine the way it needs to reply to the extradition request submitted by Bangladesh. Till that call is made, she’s going to proceed to dwell in Delhi, with no readability on how lengthy her keep may ultimately final.