Dropped Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, has launched a vicious attack on Muhammad Yunus, the country’s acting leader, for allegedly persecuting minorities.
Sheikh Hasina accused Muhammad Yunus of committing “genocide” and neglecting to protect minorities, especially Hindus, in a virtual speech at a New York event. In addition, she asserted that, like their father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, there were plots to kill her and her sister, Sheikh Rehana. In 1975, Mujibur Rahman was assassinated.
Sheikh Hasina had made remarks on the general state of affairs in Bangladesh, but this was her first public speech since fleeing to India after resigning in August amid widespread anti-government demonstrations.
“The armed protestors were directed towards Ganabhaban. If the security guards opened fire, many lives would have been lost. It was a matter of 25-30 minutes, and I was forced to leave. I told them [guards] not to fire no matter what happened,” she said referring to the storming of her official residence in Dhaka on August 5.
“Today, I am being accused of genocide. In reality, Yunus has been involved in genocide in a meticulously designed manner. The masterminds — the student coordinators and Yunus — are behind this genocide,” she said at the event on Sunday.
Sheikh Hasina said the current ruling dispensation in Dhaka failed to protect the minorities.
“Hindus, Buddhists, Christians — no one has been spared. Eleven churches have been razed, temples and Buddhist shrines have been broken. When the Hindus protested, the Iskcon leader was arrested,” she said in an oblique reference to the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.
“What is this persecution of minorities for? Why are they being ruthlessly persecuted and attacked?” she said.
“People no longer have the right to justice… I never even got the time to resign,” she said speaking in Bengali.
According to Sheikh Hasina, she left Bangladesh in August in an attempt to put an end to the bloodshed, but it did not work out.
Following the installation of the Muhammad Yunus-led temporary administration, tensions arose between India and Bangladesh. Attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, have been a source of concern for India.
Since leaving Bangladesh in the wake of widespread anti-government demonstrations in July and August, Sheikh Hasina has remained in India.
The leader of the Awami League also claimed that there was a plan to kill her during her address at the celebration of Bangladesh’s “Vijay Diwas.”
“When people were dying indiscriminately, I decided I should leave,” she said.
In Bangladesh, attacks on minorities, notably the Hindu population, have increased dramatically in recent months.
India last week said the interim government in Bangladesh must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the “surge” of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus.
New Delhi also hoped that the case relating to Das, arrested on a charge of sedition, would be dealt with in a just, fair and transparent manner.
“Our position on the matter is very clear — the interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing on Friday.
“We are concerned at the surge of extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence and provocation. These developments cannot be dismissed only as media exaggeration. We once again call upon Bangladesh to take all steps for the protection of minorities,” he added.
