India had little choice on Sheikh Hasina entry: Envoy Trivedi

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has said India had little choice but to allow former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to enter the country amid the crisis that unfolded in Bangladesh.

Speaking during a question-and-answer session at the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026 in Dhaka on Saturday, Trivedi said refusing permission for Hasina to land in India could have resulted in a significantly different situation. Responding to a question about whether India would extradite Hasina, the Indian envoy said she was not transported to India by the Indian Air Force or the Indian Army. According to him, Hasina reached India aboard a Bangladeshi military aircraft following the events that led to her departure from Bangladesh. Trivedi also referred to the loss of civilian lives during the crisis, saying such circumstances should not have occurred.

“When she left Dhaka, she was the prime minister of Bangladesh, and India was not prepared for this situation,” Trivedi said, explaining the circumstances surrounding her arrival in India. He added that India’s decision to permit her entry was made against the backdrop of an unfolding and potentially volatile situation. Addressing broader relations between India and Bangladesh, Trivedi stressed that Bangladesh is a sovereign country and has the right to determine its own foreign-policy choices.

He said decisions about establishing or maintaining relations with other countries should be made by Bangladesh’s Government and people. The High Commissioner also said that neighbouring countries should respect each other’s internal affairs. Drawing an analogy with family relationships, he noted that disagreements or misunderstandings can occur even among close neighbours. The remarks came during the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026, a three-day international conference organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) in Dhaka.

However, India cannot set a deadline for the return of ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as her extradition request is being examined through an established legal process, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi said on Saturday.

Responding to repeated requests from Bangladesh for her extradition, Trivedi said at a discussion organised by a private think tank in Dhaka that “nobody can give you a timeframe” for her return. Hasina, 79, has been living in India since fleeing Dhaka on August 5, 2024, after her Government collapsed amid a mass anti-Government agitation.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has maintained that Bangladesh’s extradition request is being examined through established procedures, with Trivedi reiterating that the process is “legal” and “well structured.” He also clarified that Hasina was not brought to India by the Indian Army, but arrived aboard a Bangladesh Air Force aircraft on August 5.