By The South Asia Times

NEW DELHI – Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina delivered an audio address from her Indian exile on Wednesday, marking the second anniversary of the student-led uprising that toppled her government, despite repeated objections from Dhaka over political activities from Indian soil.

The 78-year-old former leader, who fled to India by helicopter in August 2024, spoke via audio link at an event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of South Asia in New Delhi, alongside her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

In her address, Hasina vowed to return to Bangladesh, declaring: "I will return to my people. They may try to implicate me with fabricated cases, but fear cannot decide my duty to the people, my life, or beyond". 

Her son, in his address, said that they (Hasina and Joy) have no regret over the killing of 1,400 students during the uprising.

The speech comes as Hasina faces a death sentence in Bangladesh for crimes against humanity over a crackdown on protesters that the United Nations estimated killed up to 1,400 people.

Dhaka has repeatedly sought her extradition, but India has so far declined to hand her over, stating the matter remains under legal review.

India's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal distanced New Delhi from the event, stating: "The interaction you refer to is being organised by a private media entity. The government has no involvement whatsoever in it, nor does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum".

Bangladesh, however, had warned that allowing such political activities could undermine the positive momentum in bilateral relations following February's election that brought Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to power. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said Bangladesh had "repeatedly conveyed its concerns to India over Hasina and other Awami League leaders making political statements from Indian soil".

"This event being organised around the president of the Awami League, whose activities are banned in Bangladesh, could undermine efforts to normalise relations between the two countries," a Bangladeshi official said.

Earlier this week, Dhaka formally requested India's cooperation in ensuring that Hasina does not use Indian territory for political activities aimed at destabilising Bangladesh.

In November last year, Hasina was sentenced to death by a Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal for crimes against humanity and a brutal crackdown during the monsoon uprising. 

Relations between the neighbours have remained strained since Hasina's ouster, though both sides have recently signalled a willingness to improve ties under the new government in Dhaka