India wants Bangladesh to send a military aircraft to bring ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina back from New Delhi, while seeking assurances that she will have an opportunity to appeal her death sentence and face a fresh trial over the July 2024 killings, BBC Bangla reported on Thursday, citing Indian government and military officials.
In a report titled “How Delhi views Sheikh Hasina's return home”, BBC Bangla said India had two main conditions for facilitating her return.
The first is that the Bangladesh Army must take responsibility for bringing Hasina back, just as it did when she arrived in India aboard a military aircraft on August 5, 2024.
The transfer could take place either by air or by land. Bangladesh could send a military aircraft to bring her back from Delhi, or its army could receive her at a designated point along the land border. Delhi is also prepared to make the necessary logistical arrangements, the report said.
The second condition is that Bangladesh must assure India that Hasina will have an opportunity to appeal against her death sentence and that her trial over the allegations of the July killings will be reopened.
However, India is keen to avoid any impression that it is interfering in Bangladesh's judicial system and has refrained from making public comments on the matter.
A Foreign Ministry official in Delhi told the BBC, "We can never knowingly hand her over to be hanged. Rather, we would want to ensure that she gets an opportunity for a fair trial afresh."
The official also indicated that India would want the proceedings to take place under the scrutiny of the international community and global media.
According to BBC Bangla, New Delhi has been holding behind-the-scenes discussions with Dhaka for several months to create conditions for Hasina's return.
The report said Hasina's continued presence in India had increasingly become an embarrassing issue for the Indian government, both in its bilateral relations with Bangladesh and on the international stage.
India has faced international criticism for continuing to shelter a former leader convicted by a Bangladeshi court in connection with the deadly crackdown on protesters, BBC Bangla reported.
More than two years after Hasina sought refuge in India following the 2024 July Uprising, New Delhi is increasingly looking for a way to resolve the sensitive issue.
India's preferred solution would have been for Hasina to relocate to a third country. However, repeated attempts by New Delhi to explore that possibility with various countries failed for different reasons.
Consequently, Indian policymakers now consider her return to Bangladesh and subsequent participation in the country's judicial process the only realistic option, the report said.
New Delhi also believes that the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, would find it difficult to revive its political presence in Bangladesh without Hasina's return.
According to BBC Bangla, Indian authorities regularly hold briefing sessions with foreign nationals who have been granted refuge in India. Hasina has also been briefed about New Delhi's position during such sessions.
The report said Hasina announced her intention to return to Bangladesh in December only after reaching an understanding with Indian authorities.
She had earlier told Reuters in an interview that she intended to return home in December 2026. She has maintained that position but has not announced a specific date.
Bangladesh formally requested Hasina's extradition through a diplomatic communication known as a note verbale in December 2024. Dhaka subsequently sent several reminders, but India has neither accepted nor rejected the request, BBC Bangla reported.
Asked about the matter, India's Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly maintained that it is legal in nature and would be resolved through legal procedures.
The BBC report said Indian observers believe New Delhi is unwilling to hand over Hasina as a prisoner aboard a Bangladeshi aircraft.
Hasina has been a trusted and longstanding friend of India, and handing her over in such a manner could send a damaging message to other political allies in neighbouring countries, the report said.
Indian policymakers are particularly concerned about the possible implications for India's relations with political leaders in Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
The report also noted that when Hasina arrived in India on August 5, 2024, she was not a convicted person but the recently ousted prime minister of a neighbouring country. According to the report, India has not changed its perception of her status.
BBC Bangla further reported that legal provisions and loopholes in the India-Bangladesh extradition treaty allow New Delhi to delay a decision on Dhaka's request.
The Bangladesh and Indian militaries could play an important role in arranging Hasina's return, according to BBC Bangla.
The report highlighted an unannounced visit to New Delhi by Bangladesh's then high commissioner, Dinesh Trivedi, in the first week of October. During the visit, he reportedly met not only Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth.
Citing a senior Indian military source, BBC Bangla reported that there would ordinarily be no particular reason for Bangladesh's high commissioner to meet the Indian army chief unless a special situation required such a meeting.
The source suggested that the discussion was connected to ensuring an active role for the military in Hasina's return.
Despite fluctuations in diplomatic relations between Dhaka and New Delhi over the past two to two-and-a-half years, communication between the two countries' militaries has continued without interruption, the report said.
Former Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande and his predecessor had previously said publicly that they maintained regular weekly communication with Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, including before the 2024 uprising.
India wants to utilise these established military channels to facilitate Hasina's return, BBC Bangla reported.
An Indian military source also told the BBC that New Delhi would want assurances about Hasina's safety after she returns to Bangladesh.
"India would also want to ensure that Sheikh Hasina's safety and security are not put at risk if she returns home," the source was quoted as saying.
According to the report, India wants the Bangladesh Army to assume responsibility for her protection once she is back in the country.
Despite Bangladesh's repeated requests for Hasina's extradition, Indian officials reportedly suspect that the current government in Dhaka may not genuinely want her to return.
Citing officials from India's Home and External Affairs ministries, BBC Bangla reported that New Delhi believes Bangladesh's public demand for Hasina's return may not reflect its actual political calculations.
The officials suggested that the Bangladesh government is already facing multiple challenges, including an energy-sector crisis and protests by garment workers. Against this backdrop, they believe Hasina's return could trigger further political instability.
The report said several conditions would have to be met before her return could become a reality, making an immediate resolution difficult.
Consequently, Indian observers were reportedly sceptical about Hasina's chances of returning in December unless developments take a dramatic turn.
According to BBC Bangla, New Delhi is aware that arranging Hasina's return under the conditions it wants will be difficult. Nevertheless, Indian authorities reportedly agreed to her public announcement about returning in December.
The report suggested that India sees potential diplomatic advantages even if Hasina ultimately fails to return.
A South Block official in New Delhi was quoted by BBC Bangla as saying, "At least we will then be able to say that Sheikh Hasina wanted to return on her own, but it was not possible because Bangladesh came up with various excuses."
The announcement has also reportedly energised Awami League leaders and activists in Bangladesh.
Since India wants the Awami League to regain a place in Bangladesh's political landscape, New Delhi views Hasina's declared intention to return as potentially beneficial, the report said.
BBC Bangla concluded that it remains uncertain where Hasina will be on December 31, 2026. However, if she continues to stay in India, New Delhi believes it will have an additional argument to justify her continued presence in the country.