Two days after Bangladesh requested India to hand over its ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—who has been sentenced to death over alleged “crimes against humanity”—the country’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Khalilur Rahman met his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The two NSAs discussed key bilateral issues during the seventh NSA-level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) held in the national capital.
“Bangladesh’s delegation to the Seventh NSA-level Meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), led by National Security Adviser Dr. Khalilur Rahman, met with India’s National Security Adviser Mr. Ajit Doval and his team today in Delhi. They discussed the work of the CSC and key bilateral issues,” a statement issued by the Bangladesh High Commission said.
Rahman also invited Doval to visit Bangladesh at his convenience, the statement added.
The meeting holds particular significance as it comes amid tensions surrounding the Sheikh Hasina asylum and extradition issue.
Hasina fled to India following the student-led uprising against her government in July–August 2024. She has been living in India ever since.
On Monday, a Bangladeshi court found her guilty on all five charges of “crimes against humanity” and sentenced her to death.
The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh ruled that Hasina and two co-accused—former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal—had ordered the use of lethal weapons against student protesters.
While Hasina and Kamal received the death penalty, former police chief Al-Mamun was sentenced to five years in jail after turning state witness.
Hasina rejected the ruling, calling her trial “biased” and “politically motivated.” She said there was “nothing international” about the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), describing it as a “rigged institution” led by a government with “no democratic mandate.”
Following the verdict, the Bangladeshi foreign ministry demanded that India hand over both Hasina and Kamal—who is also believed to be in India—under the existing extradition treaty.
The ministry said Hasina and Kamal “have been charged with crimes against humanity, and if a second country grants them asylum, it would be a highly objectionable act and a violation of international norms and principles of justice.”