Sheikh Hasina return vow draws Bangladesh rebuke

Bangladesh's government rebuked ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina after she said she would return from exile in India in December even if she was jailed.

Hasina, 78, spoke in an audio broadcast to a packed press club in New Delhi on Wednesday, the second anniversary of the student-led uprising that overthrew her rule on August 5, 2024. “I may be detained, I may be sent to prison. But fear cannot decide my duty to the people,” she said.

Dhaka's foreign ministry said Bangladesh was “outraged” and said Hasina would never have a place in the country's politics. It said allowing her to speak in public was deeply hurtful to public sentiment and detrimental to harmonious bilateral relations.

India's foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said before the event that New Delhi's government had no involvement in it and did not endorse any views that might be expressed.

Hasina fled by helicopter to India as crowds stormed her palace in 2024. The United Nations says up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns as she tried to remain in power.

In November 2025, a court in Dhaka found Hasina guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to be hanged. Bangladesh has formally requested her extradition, and New Delhi has said the request is under examination.

Hasina said she wanted to return in December because it is the month Bangladesh gained independence in 1971. Her comments echoed a July interview in which she said she knew she could be killed, arrested or jailed but wanted to go back because “my people are calling me”.

The Bangladeshi government has said it will ensure Hasina receives due legal process in all cases against her if she returns. Bangladeshi authorities have banned local media from airing her speech.