Death Sentence for Sheikh Hasina: India Holds the Key to Her Fate

Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's long-serving former prime minister, has been sentenced to death in absentia by a domestic tribunal that convicted her of crimes related to a violent 2024 crackdown. Hasina fled to India last August after 15 years in power, and Dhaka has formally demanded her extradition — a move that has placed New Delhi at the center of a fraught legal and diplomatic standoff.

From tragedy to power

Hasina’s political life was shaped by personal trauma and national upheaval. She is the eldest daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the charismatic leader of Bangladesh’s independence movement, who was assassinated in a military coup in August 1975 along with most of her family. Hasina and her sister survived because they were abroad at the time. The massacre propelled her into politics and a decades-long rivalry with Khaleda Zia and the Zia family, a rivalry that became a defining feature of Bangladeshi politics — often described as the era of the "Battling Begums."

Rise, rule and consolidation

Hasina first became prime minister after the 1996 elections and returned to power in 2008. Over the next 15 years she presided over strong economic growth and closer ties with India, while critics and rights groups warned her government was increasingly authoritarian. Observers documented a pattern of restrictions on the media, harassment of political opponents, and electoral and civic pressures that, they argued, skewed the political playing field.

The 2024 uprising and trial

In 2024 a youth-led movement that began as protests over civil service job quotas evolved into a nationwide uprising demanding Hasina's resignation. Security forces responded with force; the UN human rights office estimated up to 1,400 people may have died in the suppression. The violent crackdown galvanized the protests and ultimately led to Hasina’s ouster and flight to India.

She was tried in absentia before the International Crimes Tribunal — a domestic court she had supported establishing — and convicted of crimes against humanity, including incitement to murder and ordering lethal force against demonstrators using helicopters, drones and other means. The tribunal said it was "crystal clear" she had ordered the killings; relatives of victims reacted emotionally to the verdict. Hasina denies the charges and calls the case politically motivated.

India's dilemma

India now faces a complex choice. Dhaka has invoked the bilateral extradition treaty and demanded Hasina's immediate return. New Delhi has taken a cautious public stance, saying it will "engage constructively with all stakeholders." Several legal and political factors give India grounds to hesitate. India’s extradition framework contains a "political offence" exception that can be used to refuse surrender when allegations are seen as politically driven. Indian officials and analysts also note that Hasina has not exhausted domestic appeals in Bangladesh and could seek international legal remedies, complicating any straightforward handover.

Former Indian diplomat Anil Trigunayat has publicly expressed doubt that New Delhi will send Hasina back to face imprisonment or execution. Strategically, Hasina’s government had been a close partner of India on regional security and border management, and New Delhi has an interest in avoiding instability that could revive insurgent groups or other security challenges.

Political fallout in Bangladesh

Back home, Hasina’s Awami League has been banned and its leadership dispersed as the country prepares for elections scheduled next February. The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus faces the challenge of steering a deeply polarized nation toward credible polls and national reconciliation. Hasina’s conviction and the call for extradition have intensified political tensions and raised questions about the shape of Bangladesh’s political future: whether this marks the end of a fraught era of polarized, winner-takes-all politics, or just the opening of another uncertain chapter.

What comes next

The legal and diplomatic calculations in New Delhi will determine whether Bangladesh’s sentence becomes enforceable. For now, Hasina remains in India — a familiar refuge from an earlier period of exile — and a central figure in a geopolitical contest between two neighboring capitals. How India balances legal obligations, political interests and regional stability will decide whether Dhaka’s death sentence can be carried out.

Notable voices cited in this piece include political scientist Mubashar Hasan, victim relative Abdur Rab, former Indian diplomat Anil Trigunayat, and Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed.