Delhi – It’s been more than a year since the dramatic exile of the former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina. Year after this, she told a source that she had been “deeply grateful to the Indian people for providing me with a safe haven.” The fall of the Hasina govt. led to the rise of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim govt. after August 5, 2024. The bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh remain problematic, as India gave refuge to the ousted PM of Bangladesh.

The interim govt. headed by Muhammad Yunus, always finger-pointed at Hasina’s refuge in India as frictions in the bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh. They even sought her extradition. According to the source, Hasina denied this idea and said, “India is and has always been Bangladesh’s most important ally, and must remain so if Bangladesh’s security and prosperity are to be maintained. If there is friction between India and Dr Yunus’s unelected administration, that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the chaotic, violent and extremist policies that are taking shape under Dr Yunus’s rule.”

She indicated the persecution of religious minorities, regressive social and religious policies by the govt.-backed fundamentalists and “hostile rhetoric towards India from officials in Dhaka” as the principal reasons for the frictions in the bilateral relations. She further said, “I want to make clear that this kind of hostility does not sit comfortably with most Bangladeshis. The connections between our two countries are broad and deep.”

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal is expected to deliver its verdict in November in cases related to crimes against humanity. Awami League filed the cases against Hasina. She said to source that the evidence against her is manipulated and these charges were from the Awami League who usurped the power undemocratically. “I categorically deny all charges brought against me. These charges have been brought by a kangaroo court that is controlled by my political opponents, who have seized power undemocratically,” Hasina said. She also said, “I’m not afraid to defend my record. I have repeatedly challenged the Yunus administration to bring these charges before a genuinely impartial tribunal, such as the International Criminal Court, where I could be tried fairly and with the right to mount a proper defence”, sources said.