'Grateful To India For Welcoming Me': Sheikh Hasina On Living In New Delhi After Ouster

New Delhi: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been living in India since her ouster last year, thanked New Delhi for “offering her refuge” and “welcoming” her. Hasina said that India–Bangladesh ties are rooted in “deep respect” for sovereignty and shared regional interests.

“I am deeply grateful to the people of India for welcoming me and providing me with temporary refuge. Our countries share 4,000 kilometres of border, deep family and cultural ties, and critical security interests. Our partnership rests on a deep respect and understanding of each other’s sovereignty,” the former PM said, speaking to NDTV.

“Bangladesh’s future must be determined independently by its own people and leaders. I believe India understands this and would prefer to deal with a mature and authoritative partner in Dhaka, governing with the genuine consent of the people,” the 79-year-old Awami League leader added.

When Did Hasina Come To India?

Hasina fled to India on 5 August 2024, as thousands of violent protesters marched towards the Prime Minister’s official residence in Dhaka and she was ousted, ending her 15-year tenure.

She has since then been living in a secret safe house in India’s national capital. In an email interview with the news agency Reuters in October this year, Hasina said she would not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after elections that exclude her party, and that she plans to remain in India.

ICT Sentences Sheikh Hasina to Death

Earlier in the day, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Sheikh Hasina to death in a case over purported crimes against humanity.

She had earlier been declared a fugitive by the court and was tried in absentia. The judgement stated that the former Bangladesh PM and two other accused, former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, had orchestrated and enabled atrocities during the July–August protests.

While pronouncing the verdict, the tribunal said the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Hasina was behind the deadly crackdown on student-led protests between 15 July and 15 August last year.