Editorial: Hasina trial to test Indo-B’desh ties

A Bangladesh tribunal will conduct the trial of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and two others for their alleged role in the crackdown of anti-government protestors which resulted in deaths of several protestors. The International Crimes Tribunal, a domestic judicial body, took cognizance of the charges including “mass murder and crimes against humanity”. The prosecution alleged that the deposed prime minister had “directly ordered” both the security forces and her party apparatus to quell the protest which resulted in deaths of 1500 persons and inflicted injuries on 25,000 others. Moreover, even otherwise as the chief executive and head of the government, the buck stops at Sheikh Hasina’s office and she could be held responsible for the decisions taken under her watch.

Predictably, the Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League, which was banned under an anti-terror law till the conclusion of the tribunal proceedings, rejected the judicial exercise as “a farcical trial in the kangaroo court formed to implement their political objectives”. While the prosecution has claimed that it has videos and encrypted communications as evidence, the beleaguered Awami League mounted a laboured defence by alleging that the investigation was not conducted properly and “farcical and absurd stories” were being touted as evidence. There’s an element truth in assertions that excesses were committed just as there are reasons to doubt if the trial in absentia against the fugitive leader will be fair and impartial at a time when emotions are running high in the country that is yet to return to normalcy. Mete out justice while upholding the spirit of democracy. That will be a tall order for an interim government installed following an angry popular uprising.

The beginning of the trial needs to be seen in the context of Bangladesh’s domestic politics. In response to popular demand, chief advisor Muhammad Yunus has promised to conduct elections between December 2025 and June 2026. Will the elections be free and fair? Will the banning of Awami League and the conducting of the high-profile, televised trial deprive the party a fair chance to campaign and woo voters, even though the party has been at the receiving end of the wrath of large sections of people. A national political party will not disappear in a short span of time, even though people are opposed to its dictatorial tendencies, its hobnobbing with religious extremists and of course enabling rampant corruption. The current regime needs to give it a fair opportunity to mend its ways and have a shot at the hustings, while the judicial system should, as far as possible, insulate the trial from politics. The legitimacy of the future government and judicial institutions would depend on how the trial is conducted in the judicial courts and people’s court, that is in the electoral battlefield.

India will be watching the unfolding of events in Bangladesh as it will have an impact on the bilateral relations and regional stability and balance. Already Dhaka is leaning towards China. Then there are apprehensions about the revival of relationship with Pakistan and pro-Pakistan political actors making a comeback in Dhaka.

The conclusion of the trial against Sheikh Hasina would have its implications for the demand to extradite her from India. And there are concerns about the safety and political future of the minority Hindu community there. All this does not seem to bode well for India-Bangladesh relationship. Testing times ahead, indeed.