Bangladesh wants to execute Sheikh Hasina, but India is a major obstacle

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled Dhaka, is planning to execute the death sentence. The court recently handed down this verdict against her for crimes against humanity.The biggest challenge for India now is to implement this verdict. Last Saturday (November 22), the American media outlet CNN published such information in a report on this.The media outlet says that Sheikh Hasina was once known as a symbol of secularism. At the same time, she is the daughter of a revolutionary leader. The brutal assassination of her father in the 1970s paved the way for her political rise.But after that rise to the top of Bangladeshi politics, Sheikh Hasina suffered a dramatic fall. And that was her ouster in the face of a mass student movement and her eventual escape to India. Now the death sentence given to her in absentia could be carried out - if India decides to send her back.In 2024, she was found guilty of crimes against humanity for suppressing the student movement. The movement ultimately led to the fall of her government.  Then, after 15 years of increasingly authoritarian rule, he fled to India in August last year and took refuge in the capital of his once close ally.Now he is at the center of political tensions between the two countries, as Bangladesh repeatedly demands his return.  Bangladeshi political analyst Mubashwar Hasan said, “She was forced to leave the country to avoid public anger. She is hiding in India, and was sentenced to death. The incident is truly exceptional.A bloody pastHasina’s political journey is like a Shakespearean tragedy – tragic events, exile and power struggles. And all of it is linked to the history of Bangladesh. As the eldest daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she witnessed the struggle for independence from close quarters.But a bloody night in August 1975 changed the course of her life.At that time, army officers killed her father, mother and three brothers in Dhaka in a military coup. Hasina and her sister survived because they were in West Germany at the time. After various chaotic events at that time, Ziaur Rahman came to power, who was the husband of Khaleda Zia, who later became Hasina’s main rival.Hasina was exiled overnight after the murder of her family members. She spent six years in India and this strengthened her faith in India for her future life. In 1981,  Upon his return, he found that "people were looking at him with new hope." On the other hand, another tragic character entered politics—Khaleda Zia.Upon returning home, Hasina said, “I didn’t find any of my own at the airport, but I found the love of millions of people—that was my strength.” Then began the “fight of the two Begums.”The struggle for powerHasina led the Awami League for many years. She rose to this position through house arrest, repression, and political rivalry. She became the prime minister for the first time when her party won the election in 1996. Upon assuming office, she began the trial of the 1975 massacre.However, the secular Muslim Hasina lost power after one term. When she returned to power in 2008, she was seen in a different form, more assertive, less confident, and determined to hold on to power permanently.She ruled the country with a heavy hand for the next 15 years. On the one hand, there was ‘rapid economic growth’, on the other, human rights violations, repression of the media, and the opposition continued to increase.  As a close neighbour to India, she provided Delhi with significant economic and security support, which was a major advantage for India in a region with rivals like Pakistan and China.But domestic repression continued to grow. Critics often complained at the time that Bangladesh was moving towards one-party rule. The Indian Express wrote that under increasing pressure, Hasina could only rely on “India’s unconditional support.”The collapse of the student-public movementAlthough Hasina’s power remained intact despite many protests and assassination attempts, last year’s student movement was different. The movement over government job quotas quickly turned into nationwide protests. The government’s harsh crackdown killed 1,400 people, according to the United Nations.But the violence did not stop the movement. Rather, it fueled the movement and ultimately led to the fall of Hasina’s government. “She left the country—that was her confession of guilt. She had crossed too many boundaries,” said Mubasher Hasan. Death sentencePolitical asylum in India completed another cycle of her life. That is, she went into exile in the country again after almost half a century. The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh tried her in absentia and sentenced her to death.The charges against Hasina were: inciting the killing of protesters, ordering the hanging of protesters and ordering the suppression of the movement with drones, weapons, and helicopters. The court said that she had ordered the killing of students and this was very clear.When the verdict was announced, the court was filled with tears and applause. Abdur Rab, the father of one of the slain protesters, said, “I have found some peace in this. I will find complete peace when I see her on the gallows.”India has accepted the verdict and taken a neutral stance. Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed said, “India has always been a good friend. They saved my mother’s life.”Former Indian diplomat Anil Trigunayet said, “I am very skeptical whether India will send her back.”  According to Indian law and the Bangladesh-India extradition treaty, no one can be sent back for ‘political crimes’. And India is likely to follow that logic.“India will consider the charges against Hasina as a political crime,” he said. Trigunayet also said that Hasina has not exhausted all legal avenues yet, she can appeal to the Supreme Court, and even go to The Hague. So India will not rush.The day after the verdict, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry again sent a letter to India to return Hasina quickly. The letter mentioned, “It is India’s responsibility to return Hasina.”What will be the next political trajectory? Hasina’s death sentence ahead of the next February elections has brought a significant turning point in the country’s politics. The Awami League is now banned, and its leadership also has no clear direction. An interim government has been formed under the leadership of Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, which has begun the difficult task of bridging deep political divides.The BNP and other political parties may take advantage of this situation.  The Awami League may want to return to power—but not under Hasina's leadership. The question now is—is Hasina's fall the end of a toxic era, or the beginning of a new uncertainty?