Dhaka: Bangladesh has again pressed India to extradite former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been sentenced to death over a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising that ultimately toppled her government.

Touhid Hossain, Minister for Foreign Affairs in the interim administration, told reporters on Sunday that Dhaka had sent a fresh letter to New Delhi requesting Hasina’s return. Local media, including Prothom Alo, reported that this is the third such formal request since Hasina fled to India in August 2024.

Hasina, 78, had long enjoyed strong backing from New Delhi during her years in power. She has been in hiding in India since her autocratic government was overthrown following mass protests.

A Bangladeshi court on Monday convicted her of crimes against humanity and handed down a death sentence, citing brutal crackdowns in which the UN estimates up to 1,400 people were killed. Dhaka’s foreign ministry said India had an “obligatory responsibility” under a bilateral treaty to facilitate her return.

India’s foreign ministry said it had “noted” the verdict but stopped short of commenting on the extradition demand. New Delhi has yet to publicly respond to the latest letter.

Bangladesh remains politically volatile ahead of elections expected in February 2026, with violence and uncertainty clouding the transition. Relations between the two neighbours have also come under strain since Hasina’s fall, though tensions appeared to ease slightly during a recent regional security summit in India, where Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman met his counterpart Ajit Doval. Reports in Dhaka say Rahman has extended an invitation for Doval to visit Bangladesh.