India seeks fresh trial, army role in Sheikh Hasina's return to Bangladesh

'We can never knowingly hand her over to be hanged,' report quotes an unnamed Indian external affairs ministry official saying

India wants the Bangladesh Army to take charge of Sheikh Hasina's return and Dhaka to give the ousted prime minister a chance to appeal her death sentence and face a fresh trial, BBC Bangla reported on Thursday, citing unnamed Indian government and military officials.

Hasina has said she intends to return to Bangladesh in December, more than two years after a student-led uprising ended her rule and she fled to India. Asked on Friday about the reported conditions, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: "I have nothing to say on that." The government of Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has yet to confirm the reported terms.

Hasina arrived in India on August 5, 2024, aboard a Bangladeshi military aircraft. According to the report, New Delhi wants the Bangladesh Army to handle her journey back. Dhaka could send a military aircraft to collect her from Delhi or have army personnel receive her at an agreed point on the land border. The report said India was prepared to help with the arrangements.

The second condition concerns Hasina's conviction over the deadly crackdown on the 2024 uprising. A Bangladeshi court sentenced her to death in absentia in November 2025. She has denied the charges.

"We can never knowingly hand her over to be hanged," report quoted an unnamed Indian external affairs ministry official as saying. The official said India wanted Hasina to get a fresh, fair trial under international and media scrutiny.

Dhaka has repeatedly sought Hasina's extradition. On November 9, Hasina applied for a new passport and identity card in her first formal contact with Bangladeshi authorities since she fled. The government rejected the request, Reuters reported. Hasina told Reuters that she intended to surrender before a court on her return.

According to BBC Bangla, Indian officials have indicated that New Delhi has two principal conditions for facilitating Hasina's return.

"The process 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," the report noted, adding that New Delhi was prepared to make the necessary logistical arrangements.

The second condition concerns the legal proceedings against Hasina in Bangladesh. India wants Dhaka to "guarantee Sheikh Hasina an opportunity to appeal against her death sentence and ensure that her trial over the July massacre allegations is conducted afresh," report said.

Report said that Indian officials had discussed the proposed return with Hasina before she announced her December plan. It said New Delhi had held informal talks with Dhaka for several months and wanted to use military channels to coordinate the handover and protect her.

India's high commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, met Army chief General Dhiraj Seth in Delhi on October 6. The Indian Army said they discussed bilateral cooperation and defence ties. A military source cited by BBC Bangla linked the meeting to a possible role for the army in Hasina's return.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Tarique Rahman's assistant press secretary, K.M. Nazmul Haque, claimed that other countries were unwilling to host Hasina and that she saw a return to Bangladesh as her last option.

Indian officials cited by a report said a December return looked unlikely. Hasina's party, the Awami League, is banned in Bangladesh.