In a media briefing India’s Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) issued a formal reaction to Bangladesh trying in absentia and sentencing to death Dhaka’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who remains in exile in New Delhi.

According to the text of the MEA statement, India has studiously avoided direct commentary on the conviction itself. New Delhi's measured response prioritised reassurance about its commitment to peace, democratic governance, inclusivity and stability across the border, signalling an intent to maintain diplomatic balance.

The Indian government's carefully neutral tone paired with a particular choice of words to refer to Hasina was followed by Indian media outlets, which too began referring to Hasina as Bangladesh's former prime minister right after the ministry's statement. By now officially calling Hasina the country’s former leader, India is perhaps implicitly acknowledging that New Delhi now views its foreign policy towards Bangladesh as separate from her status.

Hasina has in the past revealed in several interviews to international media outlets that she departed Bangladesh abruptly as violence during the 2024 protests intensified and didn’t resign or sign any documents formally giving up power.

Bangladesh's interim government’s adviser for law Asif Nazrul responded swiftly to India’s reaction, indicating that Dhaka's interim administration would intensify extradition demands. Nazrul characterised India's apparent willingness to shelter a convicted individual as fundamentally hostile to Bangladesh. He stressed that tribunal proceedings would accelerate under the current government's tenure and that Hasina is yet to be tried for many other cases including several over graft during her tenure in power.

Bangladesh's foreign ministry has also formally requested that India extradite Hasina, citing the tribunal's verdict and Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies’s mandate to carry out the sentence. Dhaka has previously requested Hasina be handed over citing an extradition pact between the two countries which predates the 2024 protests and Hasina’s ouster from power.