India, Oct. 4 -- India, as a neighbour, had a duty to give shelter to former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina after she fled her country in August 2024, Indian High Commissioner in Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi has said.

Trivedi said India "hardly had any choice" as "at that point in time, she (Hasina) was still the prime minister of Bangladesh". He also said the Awami League leader was not brought to India by the Indian Air Force or Army.

He was speaking at the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026 in Dhaka on Saturday when he made the remarks. Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman gave the opening remarks at the fifth edition of the event, but was not present when Trivedi made the comments.

"At that point in time, she (Hasina) was st...