India extends stay of neighbor’s ousted PM – media
India has extended the visa of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been residing there since fleeing Dhaka in August last year, India Today reported, citing sources. The extension comes despite increasing calls from Bangladesh’s interim government for her extradition.
The outlet’s sources confirmed that Hasina has been living under tight security in a safehouse in New Delhi. While dismissing rumors that the former leader has been granted asylum by the Indian government, sources told the outlet that the visa extension should not be viewed as an offer of refuge. “This is purely a technical extension to facilitate her stay,” the source said.
The caretaker government in Bangladesh, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, formally sought her extradition on December 23.
Officials in Dhaka say that Hasina must face charges related to her alleged involvement in incidents of violence and disappearances during the 2024 protests that forced her resignation, which left hundreds of people dead and thousands more injured.
The development came just hours after Bangladesh’s immigration department revoked the passports of 97 individuals, including Sheikh Hasina, over alleged involvement in disappearances and killings during the 2024 protests.
“Passports of 22 individuals were revoked for their involvement in enforced disappearances, while 75 others, including Sheikh Hasina, were implicated in the July killings,” Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, a spokesperson for Yunus, said at a press briefing, according to Dhaka Tribune.
Relations between New Delhi and Dhaka have been strained since the ouster of Hasina, who cultivated close ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. India has expressed concern about incidents of violence targeting the Hindu community and other minorities in Bangladesh, and said the interim government in Dhaka was responsible for protecting them.
Yunus, who was tasked with leading the transitional government in Bangladesh until a new government is elected, claimed that Dhaka has “draw[n] attention to the Indian authorities” regarding hosting Hasina. “That you are hosting her; that’s fine, but please make sure she doesn’t create problems for us,” he asserted. During his televised address to the nation in December, Yunus indicated that elections in the country might be held by early 2026.
