Envoy Trivedi meets Indian Army Chief over B'desh

The Indian Army confirmed the development in a post on its verified Facebook page late Tuesday night (October 6).

The meeting comes following remarks made by High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi at an event in Dhaka on Saturday (October 6). He addressed Sheikh Hasina's departure to India in a military aircraft on 5 August 2024 and India's role as a neighboring state during the situation, drawing diplomatic attention.

The statements acquired significance as discussions gain momentum regarding Sheikh Hasina's extradition and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's potential visit to India.

Trivedi clarified that neither the Indian Air Force nor the Indian Army transported Sheikh Hasina to India. He stated that given the prevailing circumstances in Bangladesh at the time, India had few alternatives other than accepting the reality as a neighboring country.

Diplomatic analysts noted that Trivedi's remarks aligned with statements made by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the Rajya Sabha on 6 August 2024, the day after Sheikh Hasina arrived in India.

BBC Bangla reported that some diplomatic analysts view Trivedi's comments as an effort to frame Hasina's arrival in India as an internal affair of Bangladesh, emphasizing that India alone should not be held responsible.

Others suggest that by highlighting the military did not bring her over, India sought to clarify its position regarding accountability.