The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has called on India to extradite former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India following widespread protests that left hundreds dead.

BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused the 76-year-old of orchestrating a scheme to undermine Bangladesh’s recent uprising. Hasina, who stepped down and sought refuge in India on 5 August, has been implicated in massive unrest that has resulted in over 600 deaths since July, PTI reported.

Immediately after her arrival in India it was reported that she was seeking asylum in the UK, and was also considering approaching other nations including Finland and Belarus to the same end. In the days that followed no Western nation offered to accomodate the former prime minister.

In Bangladesh meanwhile, Fakhrul, speaking after visiting the grave of BNP founder Zia-ur Rahman, stated that India is failing to uphold its democratic principles by sheltering Hasina. He alleged that from India, Hasina is plotting to sabotage Bangladesh's revolution.

Under her leadership, Fakhrul claimed, Bangladesh accrued a debt burden of BDT18 trillion ($218bn) and lost nearly $100bn to corruption. Fakhrul praised the interim government, led by 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, for its efforts to restore order and promised that a fair election would be held after stabilising the country.

Notably the new interim government has not appointed people in capacities other than “advisor” roles, which gives some credence to its claims for being only a transitory structure at the country’s helm. Hasina's long-term political rival and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, was released from prison following Hasina's exit from power. Zia had been in prison serving a 17-year sentence for corruption since 2018.