"Grateful To India": Sheikh Hasina To NDTV On Living In Delhi After Ouster

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. Speaking to NDTV's Senior Executive Editor, Aditya Raj Kaul, Hasina said India and Bangladesh's relationship is 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 a 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," Hasina said.

She emphasised that Bangladesh's political future must be determined by its own people - which she believes, India understands.

"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 former Bangladesh PM said.

The 78-year-old former PM fled to India on a self-imposed exile on August 5, 2024, as tens of thousands of violent protesters marched towards her residence in Dhaka and she was ousted, ending her 15-year-long tenure. She has since then lived in a secret safe house in Delhi. In an email interview with Reuters in October this year, Hasina said she would not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after elections that exclude her party, and plans to remain in India.

"I would of course love to go home, so long as the government there was legitimate, the constitution was being upheld, and law and order genuinely prevailed," she had said.

According to Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed, India has been providing the former Bangladeshi PM full security and treating her "like a head of state".

Hasina's resignation was announced by the military shortly after she arrived in India, and handed over the interim government to Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

Sheikh Hasina's verdict today

Hasina and several leaders of her Awami League party are facing charges of crimes against humanity for a deadly crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. A United Nations report estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands wounded - most by gunfire from security forces - during anti-government demonstrations between July 15 and August 5 last year.

She, however, has denied wrongdoing and called the case "politically motivated".

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) will deliver its verdict today against Hasina and her two aides, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former police chief Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, over the same charges. The verdict will be fully televised and is expected to convict Hasina.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the accused.