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This special report, hosted by Geeta Mohan, covers the political turmoil in Bangladesh after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity. The verdict follows the 2024 student-led anti-quota protests that led to her ouster and exile in India. The programme examines the diplomatic crisis for India as Bangladesh's interim government demands her extradition, the banning of her Awami League party, and the broader implications for South Asian stability. In a text interview, Sheikh Hasina stated, 'Every leader with the benefit of hindsight can identify decisions they might have approached differently. Looking back, I recognize that certain grievances, particularly around government job quotas, could have been addressed through more extensive dialogue and engagement.'
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00:00hello and welcome i'm geeta mohan and you're watching india today global the top story this
00:20evening ousted prime minister bangladesh sheikh hasina is now convicted and sentenced to death
00:27at the heart of it is the anti-quota student protest that rocked bangladesh in june and july of 2024
00:35meanwhile bangladesh has demanded that india extradite hasina else it warns of enmity watch
00:42this report on how the entire saga unfolded
00:4578 year old sheikh hasina was it is once again in india in her second exile she's a fugitive
01:01convicted in absentia to death by a court in dhaka for crimes against humanity the ousted prime
01:09minister of bangladesh has been barred from contesting a party of army league is banned under anti-terrorism
01:15act night before the verdict in an audio message to her supporters sheikh hasina has already rubbished
01:22all charges brought against her a president is a court at the prosecutor amar buddha this was the
01:28obi joan it's a to show me to meet her and a quarter that is go to the meter we joke data tar buddha can
01:36do mamla haiva action hobby to be a court to avoid do come in june 2024 students of bangladesh erupted in
01:57protest against the supreme court of bangladesh's decision to reinstate the 30-percent reservation
02:03quota for descendants of freedom fighters this reversed the earlier government decision to
02:08remove this reservation in response to the quota reform movement of 2018 when students refused to
02:15back down sheikh hasina in one of our public addresses accused them as razaqa descendants the use of the
02:23most hated word in bangladesh razaqa meaning those who help the perpetrators against the freedom fighters
02:29during bangladesh's mukti juddho made students protest grow in intensity if the grandchildren of mukti
02:38jodha can qualify for reservation is it to be given to razaqa hasina's government allegedly let police and
02:47security forces violently crack down and protest leading to the death and imprisonment of hundreds
02:53the death of the 25-year-old abu saeed from rockea university in rongpur became a symbol of the protest
03:02as he stood in defiance spreading his hands inviting police to open fire on him he was shot at and declared
03:09brought dead in the hospital the student protest became anti-hasina and aimed at ousting her from power
03:16here the most sensitive thing is the matter of the students we must make sure that they won't get harmed
03:29we have tried by the efforts of our police and all our forces when arson started the protesting students
03:36said they were not involved in it and we condemn it we don't want it when they pulled off from the protest
03:43i deployed the army only then did i deploy them i did not do it before that before the students
03:50pulled off from the protest many accused me of deploying army against the students i myself was
03:58involved in student politics my politics started from dhaka university i know what the army could do
04:06shabit the student wing of the jamaat islam bnp and jamaat together are behind all these incidents and
04:13murders dhaka turned into a battleground and finally on 5th august 2024 sheikh hasina had to flee dhaka
04:26and seek refuge in india when asked if she wants to do things differently in a text interview to india
04:32today from an undisclosed location the exiled and now convicted bangladesh prime minister did agree that
04:39she failed to read the emotions of the students she said and i quote every leader with the benefit
04:46of hindsight can identify decisions they might have approached differently looking back i recognize
04:53that certain grievances particularly around government job quotas could have been addressed
04:58through more extensive dialogue and engagement we had mechanisms in place for this as we had shown in
05:05the past but perhaps we could have acted more swiftly if the situation had not deteriorated we would
05:12also have been able to complete the independent inquiry we launched immediately after the first casualties
05:19this was extinguished by younis when he seized power but i regret that we were not able to give the
05:26bereaved families of those who tragically lost their lives the answer they deserve sadly the so-called
05:32investigations that have been undertaken by the interim government have just been scapegoating exercises
05:39aimed at discrediting the awami league for narrow political purposes unquote sheikh hasina was once
05:47celebrated as the torchbearer of democracy in bangladesh but of 15 years as the prime minister has been
05:54tarnished with the blood of innocent students and the septuagenarian leader stands at the worst crossroad of
06:00her life today with everything that she her father bongo bondu sheikh mujibur rayman her party avami league
06:08had built since bangladesh was formed is now being dabbed in black by her fellow countrymen to be marked
06:15out in bangladesh's history as the darkest of all bureau report india today
06:20professor ianjeet sen bangladesh expert and chief advisor red lantern analytica joins me for a detailed
06:34discussion on what's happening on the ground how does it impact india professor sen the fact that
06:40there's an extradition treaty between india and bangladesh how will that impact there's a caveat on
06:46political leaders that does that apply should india really be considering bangladesh's request
06:54thank you gita see there are a lot of um you know it's not as easy as a kind of an advisor coming
07:01on television and just saying over there that we want to see them back because uh there are a lot of
07:06procedures first of all uh the bangladesh uh interim government uh so to say that because it's a remember
07:13it's an unconstitutional regime and first of all this kind of an unconstitutional regime cannot
07:19ask for extradition under the international laws and even if it does it has to send all details
07:24evidences to india and then india examines it and then probably a court case is filed in india and the
07:30lawyers from all sides are represented so evidence uh evidences are examined it's it's it's a long process
07:37it's not that as easy um as uh it seems for uh the uh units administration because it has been just
07:43trying to play to the gallery at the moment it's what happened today in the ict was nothing but just
07:48like a cricket match where the batsmen bowler umpires fielders it's all on the same team so it's just like
07:55a got up game okay then let's zoom out a little let's talk about the fact that how does it help india
08:01uh to have does india risk a lot to have sheikh hasina in india or more so to ensure that for
08:09a future of avami league in bangladesh india should continue pursuing the road of restoration of avami
08:16league as a political party because there's no other option for india and bangladesh
08:22well um you know from a geopolitical perspective uh for india bangladesh is not just a neighbor
08:28but uh strategically a very important country from that perspective uh if we see then uh one thing
08:35is very important that uh we need to be with whom we were right from the word go in 1971.
08:41that's uh the army league uh party and uh from that perspective i think uh there's very little
08:48chance that india to give back uh hasina to uh bangladesh and under the legal terms and conditions
08:53that are existing right now in the international stage it's next to impossible and we have seen
08:58how the last 14 months have gone as far as the relationship between uh india and bangladesh
09:03uh has gone and it's not in there at their best at the moment and uh it's just not having an
09:09extradition treaty in place but uh at the same time uh political offenses and lack of government
09:15faith there are several factors so it's not that easy to uh back to bangladesh absolutely exactly the
09:23point and uh you might want to weigh in on what happened in that verdict uh announcement that was
09:29made uh today wherein uh the pakistani army was hailed as a glorious army that clearly shows the
09:36allegiance that this administration and dhaka now holds and holds pakistan in very high regard
09:43uh against mukti bahini they said they said they said a shake a shake mujibur rahman created mukti bahini
09:52against uh the very glorious pakistan army uh that's very right because one thing i think substantiates
10:00the entire thing first thing is that uh this order when it was pronounced today an hour before uh from
10:07then onwards it was publicly broadcast not just in bangladesh but in certain places in pakistan in
10:13lahore and karachi so that tells you the story as to uh where uh and how the relationship between uh
10:20the current regime of bangladesh and the uh pakistani government is going because visa is free and from
10:25all perspectives they are pushing in terrorists uh including two major groups uh two major terrorist
10:32organizations which are right now in bangladesh as we speak along with the uh the different
10:38bangladeshi uh outfits as well so that clearly says that it's kind of becoming a terror hotbed not just
10:44from our northern side but also on our eastern side as well right professor oranjeet sam thank you so
10:51much for joining us do keep uh joining us on this show to share your perspective thank you thank you so much
10:57now ally fugitive or geopolitical pawn from students protest that toppled sheikh hasina to
11:05the controversial death verdict india faces a historic dilemma protect a long-time partner or respect
11:13bangladesh's new regime what will india do watch an excerpt of statecraft where we uncover the
11:19implications for india bangladesh and south asia full episode is available on india today global's youtube channel
11:27we have decided to inflict her with only one sentence that is sentence of death
11:48bangladesh has crossed a line no one imagined a death sentence for sheikh hasina in absentia
11:55the woman who ruled for over 15 years and kept extremism in check a nation that once stood as a
12:01beacon of economic growth and political stability is now convulsing with protests islamist resurgence
12:08and communal unrest and now the crisis reaches india sheikh hasina is on indian soil with an extradition
12:16treaty linking dhaka and new delhi the stakes are enormous does india give her up or protect her
12:22knowing that the decision will shape the future of south asia's political landscape
12:27for years to come hello and welcome you're watching statecraft with me geeta mohan
12:40bangladesh is living through the most volatile moments since its birth in 1971. a nation once
12:47defined by its fight against extremism and its rapid economic rise is now staring at a political
12:54earthquake the death sentence handed to former prime minister sheikh hasina and former home minister
13:00asad zaman khan kamal but to understand how bangladesh reached this moment we must return to the spark that
13:08lit the fire the student uprising that spiraled into a national revolt and tore through the country's
13:15political foundation what began as a protest over jog kota discrimination a technical bureaucratic issue
13:23erupted into a generational war against hasina's governance students flooded the streets in dhaka
13:30chittagong raj shahi and silhet within days campuses turned into conflict zones as clashes intensified
13:38several young protesters were killed deaths that transformed an economic grievance into a moral revolt
13:46bangladesh a nation with a history of uprisings had reached its breaking point hasina's government
13:54responded the only way it knew with force tear gas blanketed university gates armored vehicles rolled
14:01through dhaka's busiest roads and in scenes that shocked the region police opened live fire on campuses
14:08photos of students with bullet wounds teenagers beaten and dragged away spread faster than the government
14:14could control the moral authority of hasina once credited with ending decades of instability collapsed
14:22almost overnight but street protests alone cannot topple a leader as entrenched as sheikh hasina
14:30her political machinery her bureaucracy and above all her security establishment had kept her in power for
14:3615 years what changed was the silence and then the fracture inside bangladesh's security system
14:45as protests intensified senior officers and key units appeared to pull back decisions that once required
14:52minutes suddenly took hours orders went unanswered some insiders insist this wasn't simple hesitation it was
15:01influence and that influence many claim came from abroad for years washington headed by biden administration
15:09at that time was uneasy with hasina's tilt toward beijing from chinese funded mega projects to military cooperation
15:17but the real flashpoint was saint martin's island a small coral island in the bay of bengal with massive strategic
15:24weight the u.s wanted access hasina refused not once not twice every time in a nation where extremism once
15:34cost thousands of civilian lives this resurgence triggered alarm bells and history repeated itself
15:42as with every moment of political breakdown in bangladesh minorities especially hindus became immediate
15:49targets within days temples were desecrated shops were looted villages were attacked under the cover of
15:56political chaos hindus already down from nearly 30 percent of bangladesh's population in 1947 to under
16:04eight percent today once again found themselves fleeing their homes the social fabric hasina maintained
16:11through strict policing was beginning to tear the tribunal verdict that followed sentencing
16:18sheikh hasina to death for crimes against humanity came at a moment when bangladesh was already off
16:25balance critics argue the trial was fast-tracked shaped more by the politics of the new order than by
16:32evidence many view it as an attempt to erase hasina's legacy to portray her not as a former leader but as a
16:40pariah in a publicly released statement hasina said that the verdict announced against her was biased
16:47and politically motivated everyone knew this sentence was predetermined these trials were rushed i mean
16:56it's a historic trial and they finished it in what uh two months three months uh this is an unelected
17:04unconstitutional undemocratic government and now the crisis arrives at india's doorstep hasina is on
17:11indian soil india and bangladesh share an extradition treaty that mandates cooperation except in cases
17:18where charges are political or where the accused faces persecution unfair trial or the death penalty
17:26itself in hasina's case all these conditions apply india's legal framework gives new delhi the right to
17:33deny extradition but geopolitics rarely obey legal logic for over a decade hasina was india's most
17:41reliable partner in south asia she dismantled terror networks operating against india cracked down on isi
17:48linked groups curbed infiltration and strengthened regional connectivity hours after the verdict india's
17:56ministry of external affairs said it will engage constructively with all stakeholders considering
18:02peace democracy and stability in the neighboring country
18:06as sheikh hasina waits isolated hunted condemned a single truth hangs over every corridor of power
18:15in south asia her death sentence may not calm bangladesh it may ignite forces far more dangerous than the
18:22ones that drove her out external affairs minister dr jayshankar met his russian counterpart sergey lavrov in
18:33moscow both the ministers discussed issues ranging from political to economic and regional the meet also
18:39comes ahead of russian president vladimir poten's visit to india early december the meet is also
18:44crucial as u.s has slapped additional tariffs on india for purchasing russian oil the u.s had earlier
18:51accused india of fueling russian war machine it also comes as u.s president donald trump said he will
18:57likely visit india next year india continues its trade dialogue with the u.s and defense ministers of
19:04both countries that concluded a 10-year defense framework agreement and a renewal of that framework
19:10basically meanwhile president trump has also expressed positivity in the talks between both the countries
19:17and an ease in doing business in future jayshankar is in moscow leading the indian delegation for the
19:23shangha cooperation organization's council of heads of government meeting scheduled for november 18th
19:29and to be hosted by russian prime minister mikhail mishustin this will include talks for the preparation
19:37for the 23rd annual india russia summit during putin's visit which is likely to be held on december
19:435th and 6th trade energy defense logistics and connectivity will be the topics of the summit
19:53and now let's take a look at some other stories making news from across the world in world at a glance
19:58as u.s saudi arabia work out last minute details ahead of crown prince mohammad bin salman to washington dc
20:17on tuesday u.s president donald trump aims to deepen decades-old cooperation on oil and security
20:24while broadening ties in commerce technology and potentially even nuclear energy president
20:31also looks forward to talks on abraham accords and hopes saudi to join the accords to boost ties with
20:38israel it will be the first trip by crown prince mohammad bin salman to the u.s since the 2018 killing
20:46of saudi critic jamal khashoggi by saudi agents in istanbul which caused a global uproar
20:54and as u.s house republicans plan to vote on tuesday on releasing the epstein files feud between
21:02president trump and long-term ally marjorie taylor green has widened green who has questioned trump's
21:09handlings of the epstein files and his commitment on america first was called wacky marjorie traitor
21:16brown in a truth social post by trump he also said that no one cares for green and was the cause of all
21:23her problems u.s president donald trump said he could have discussions with venezuela leader
21:31nicolas maduro trump said he thinks venezuela would like to have talks with the united states
21:38meanwhile u.s southern command said u.s task force carried out a lethal strike on saturday on a vessel
21:44operated by a designated terrorist organization in the eastern pacific u.s has also built pressure
21:51on venezuela government saying it will designate cartel de los souls as a foreign terrorist organization
21:59this according to president trump will enable the united states to target certain assets and infrastructure
22:05in the country ukrainian president vladimir zelensky said he had signed a deal with france to obtain
22:14100 rafal warplanes as he seeks to bolster the country's long-term military capacity to fight russia's
22:21invasion zelensky told french tv channel he had ordered 100 rafal fighter jets zelensky is in paris at a
22:29time when heavy russian drone and missile attacks on ukraine have increased in recent weeks and moscow has
22:36reported sharp ground advances in the southeastern zepore zia region
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