Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in August 2024 amid violent protests and arrived in India aboard a Bangladeshi military aircraft, has announced plans to return to her country in December.
New Delhi is said to support the possibility of her return, provided Dhaka offers guarantees concerning her security and legal rights.
The BBC Bangla report, published on Thursday, November 12, cited unnamed sources in India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and military establishment.
It said New Delhi had been working for several months to identify a viable route for Hasina’s return.
India’s MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal declined to comment on the report when questioned by journalists on Friday, November 13.
The Bangladesh government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had not publicly responded to the report at the time of publication.
India maintains silence on Hasina's return plan
At Friday’s media briefing, a journalist asked Jaiswal whether India wanted Bangladesh to send a military aircraft to bring Hasina back from New Delhi and whether it had sought assurances that she would be allowed to appeal her death sentence and face a fresh trial over allegations linked to the 2024 crackdown.
"I have nothing to say on that," Jaiswal responded.
The BBC Bangla report said New Delhi had been exploring arrangements for Hasina’s return for some time, with the stated objective of ensuring her safety and access to justice.
However, Bangladesh’s assistant press secretary KM Nazmul Haque appeared to dismiss the possibility of Hasina finding refuge elsewhere.
In a Facebook post on Friday, he claimed that no country had expressed willingness to host her.
"The UK, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Finland, the United States, Belarus, Qatar -- not even a single country in Africa is willing to provide shelter to a genocidaire," Nazmul wrote.
"In other words, one avenue after another is closing for Hasina," he added, claiming that she wanted to return to Bangladesh "as a last resort" by relying on the support of grassroots Awami League workers and supporters.
Hasina makes first official contact with Dhaka
Hasina initiated her first formal contact with the Bangladeshi government since leaving the country by applying for a fresh passport and travel documents on November 9.
The response from Dhaka was reportedly unfavourable, with some political leaders insisting that India should extradite her.
Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri described the Bangladesh government’s position on Hasina’s passport application as "too rigid and unreasonable".
Dhaka-based senior journalist Swadesh Roy, meanwhile, said Hasina had put the first political move in the Bangladesh government’s court by initiating contact over the issuance of a passport.
Bangladesh has repeatedly sought Hasina’s extradition after a court sentenced her to death.
India has so far refrained from acting on those requests, allowing the former prime minister to remain in the country.
Hasina’s announcement that she intends to return in December reportedly came with what BBC Bangla described as "New Delhi's tacit approval".
India 'wants' two key guarantees
According to BBC Bangla, Indian officials have identified two principal conditions that they want Bangladesh to meet before Hasina returns.
The first concerns the Bangladesh military’s involvement in bringing her back.
Hasina arrived in India on August 5, 2024, aboard a Bangladesh Army aircraft.
New Delhi reportedly wants the same institution to take responsibility for her return.
The report said the process could take place either by air or land.
Bangladesh could send a military aircraft to take Hasina from Delhi or arrange for its army to receive her at a designated location along the land border.
India, it added, was prepared to make the necessary logistical arrangements.
The second condition concerns the legal proceedings against Hasina in Bangladesh.
New Delhi reportedly wants Dhaka to guarantee her the right to appeal against her death sentence and ensure a fresh trial over allegations relating to the July 2024 crackdown.
"We can never knowingly hand her over to be hanged. Rather, we would want to ensure that she gets an opportunity for a fresh and fair trial," BBC Bangla quoted an unnamed Indian MEA official as saying.
The official reportedly indicated that India would also want the proceedings to take place under the scrutiny of the international community and global media.