In her first public address after fleeing Bangladesh four months back, ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has mounted a stinging attack on the country’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of perpetrating “genocide” and failing to protect minorities including Hindus.
In the remarks delivered virtually to her supporters at an event in New York, Hasina, presently living in India, also claimed that there were plans to kill her and her sister Sheikh Rehana just like their father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in 1975.
Describing Yunus as “power-hungry”, Hasina alleged that the places of worship in Bangladesh are under attack and the current dispensation has totally failed to deal with the situation.
Hasina was speaking to supporters of her Awami League party at the event organised on Sunday to mark “Bijoy Dibos” or Victory Day that falls on December 16.
Though Hasina made several statements in the last few months, it was her first public address after taking shelter, said an expert closely tracking developments in Bangladesh.
“The armed protestors were directed towards Ganabhaban (official residence of the prime minister). 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 not to fire no matter what happened,” she said, speaking in Bengali.
“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.
In her nearly an hour-long address, Hasina said the current 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 arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.
“What is this persecution of minorities for? Why are they being ruthlessly persecuted and attacked,” she asked.
“People no longer have the right to justice…I never even got the time to resign,” she said.
Hasina said she left Bangladesh in August with an aim to stop the violence. However, the situation has deteriorated further, she said.
“When people were dying indiscriminately, I decided I should leave,” she said.
The Awami League leader has been staying in India since she left Bangladesh following massive anti-government protests in July and August.
The relations between India and Bangladesh came under strain after the interim government headed by Yunus came to power.
India has been expressing concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus, in that country.
There have been spate of attacks on minorities including on the Hindu community in Bangladesh in the last few 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, will 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.
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