'Necessary steps will be taken': New Bangladesh government seeks extradition of ex-PM Sheikh Hasina from India

Bangladesh will take 'necessary steps' to secure the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India to try her on charges of mass killings, the newly appointedchief prosecutor of the country'sInternational Crimes Tribunal (ICT), Mohammad Taijul, said on Sunday (Sep 8).

Hasina has sought refuge in the northern Indian city of Ghaziabad ever since fleeing Bangladesh as the demonstratorstook over her official residence in the wake of the students' protest last month.

“Necessary steps will be taken to bring former prime minister Hasina back under the extradition treaty with India to try her on charges of mass killings during the student-led protests in July and August,”Taijul was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper.

"We will file an application with the International Crimes Tribunal, when it resumes functions, to issue arrest warrants against all the accused, including Sheikh Hasina, in connection with the cases filed for mass killing and crimes against humanity," he added.

Last month,Bangladesh's ICT launched an investigation against Hasina and nine others on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity that took place between July and August during the peak of the students' protest against the 'unjust' quota system.

Taijul added that information, documents and evidence against the accused persons will be collected from across the country and compiled, examined and placed properly before the tribunal.

Watch |Sheikh Hasina’s Ouster: Where does Bangladesh stand now?

Yunus' hint

Taijul's statement comes a couple of days afterMuhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, hinted at the extradition. Yunus said Hasina "should keep quiet"and asked New Delhi to move beyond the “narrative” that every political party other than Hasina’s Awami League is “Islamist”.

“We want to extradite killers and bring back the money embezzled by corrupt individuals, politicians and bureaucrats during the autocratic regime," said Yunus.

“If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet.Sitting in India, she is speaking and giving instructions. No one likes it. It’s not good for us or for India," he added.

Notably, Hasina has alleged that the United States engineered her ouster from power and appointed Yunus as a pawn after sherefused to cede sovereignty of St. Martin Island, which would have given Washington control over the Bay of Bengal.

"I resigned so that I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it. I resigned from premiership," Hasina said.

"I could have remained in power if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal. I beseech to the people of my land, please do not be manipulated by radicals," she added.

Washington and Dhaka had been at loggerheads for some time when Hasina was in power. The friction was evident when Hasina won a fourth straight term in January but the US State Department did not accept the results saying the polls were not free and fair.

(With inputs from agencies)