'Living Freely In India, Would Love To Go Home': Sheikh Hasina Says No Plans For Bangladesh Return

Last Updated:October 29, 2025, 23:38 IST

Sheikh Hasina said she will not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after elections that exclude her party, and plans to remain in India.

Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina (PTI/File)

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted from power last year after massive anti-government protests, said she has no current plans to return to the country, but would love to go home amid criminal proceedings against her.

Hasina, who fled Bangladesh with her sister, Sheikh Rehana, to neighbouring India on August 5, 2024, said she lives freely in Delhi but remains cautious given her family’s violent history. “I would of course love to go home, so long as the government there was legitimate, the constitution was being upheld, and law and order genuinely prevailed," she told Reuters in her first media interaction since her ouster.

The 78-year-old leader said she will not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after elections that exclude her party, the Awami League, and plans to remain in India.

This came after Hasina was spotted by a Reuters reporter taking a quiet stroll in Delhi’s Lodhi Garden, accompanied by two individuals who appeared to be her personal security detail. She acknowledged passersby with a nod as some people recognised her.

Hasina was ousted from power after protests against a controversial quota system for government jobs turned into a full-blown agitation against the Awami League government after a violent crackdown on demonstrations, where an estimated 1,400 people were killed.

The Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh has concluded proceedings against Hasina over charges of crimes against humanity. Prosecutors accused her of overseeing enforced disappearances and torture of opposition activists. A verdict is expected on November 13.

ALSO READ: ‘Awami League Supporters Will Boycott’: Sheikh Hasina On Bangladesh Polls Next Year

Hasina Slams ‘Politically-Motivated’ Charges

However, Hasina denied the charges against her, calling them “politically-motivated" and insisting that she was not personally involved in the use of lethal force or other alleged crimes against student protesters. “They’ve been brought by kangaroo courts, with guilty verdicts a foregone conclusion. I was mostly denied prior notice or any meaningful opportunity to defend myself."

The interim government in Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, banned the Awami League, citing national security threats and war crimes investigations into senior party leaders. Hasina called the ban on her party “unjust" and “self-defeating" and said it would boycott the upcoming national elections slated for February 2026.

Hasina asserted that the Awami League would eventually return to play a role in Bangladesh’s future, and her family may not lead it. “It’s really not about me or my family. For Bangladesh to achieve the future we all want, there must be a return to constitutional rule and political stability. No single person or family defines our country’s future," she said.

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