Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has strongly condemned the country’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of orchestrating the murder of student activists and overseeing the persecution of minorities. In a fiery virtual address, Hasina described the current regime in Bangladesh as “fascist,” while denouncing the arrest of religious leader Chinmoy Krishna Das Prabhu.
Das, a former member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and a spokesperson for the Bangladesh Sommilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, was detained at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on November 25. His arrest sparked widespread protests across the country, with demonstrators calling for his immediate release.
Speaking at an event in London, Hasina accused the government of violating human rights. “They have arrested Chinmoy Krishna Prabhu and denied him access to legal representation. This is a clear violation of human rights and a demonstration of a fascist government at work,” Hasina said in her address.
The former Prime Minister launched a scathing attack on the Yunus-led interim government, alleging that authorities had released several murder suspects while arresting over 100 journalists in an effort to stifle freedom of speech.
“The regime has arrested over a hundred journalists and suppressed free speech. Meanwhile, they’ve released criminals involved in murder,” Hasina asserted.
Hasina, who fled Bangladesh following violent anti-government protests in July and August, also accused the interim government of orchestrating violence against religious minorities. “They have tortured and assaulted religious minorities in Bangladesh. Temples and churches have been attacked, and several Awami League leaders have been killed,” Hasina added, referencing reports of growing violence against Hindus during the unrest.
‘Yunus the Mastermind of Conspiracy’
In her address, Hasina once again reiterated her claim that there had been a plot to assassinate her. She accused Yunus of masterminding a conspiracy against her government, which she believes was designed to allow him to assume power. “Yunus was the mastermind behind the anti-government protests. He orchestrated the conspiracy and admitted it. His aim was to destabilize the government and rule Bangladesh himself,” Hasina said.
যুক্তরাজ্য আওয়ামী লীগের ভার্চুয়াল সভায়, জননেত্রী শেখ হাসিনার সম্পূর্ণ বক্তব্য | #Bangladesh #AwamiLeague #SaveBangladesh #BangladeshCrisis #UKAL #SheikhHasina pic.twitter.com/GmkfK2TQgx
— Awami League (@albd1971) December 8, 2024
The mass protests that erupted earlier this year began as a student-led demand for reforms to the civil service quota system, but many critics have suggested a deeper, politically motivated agenda. “I didn’t hand over the government, it was forcibly taken by Yunus-led protestors. I fled because I never wanted to engage in politics over dead bodies,” Hasina remarked in the audio clip posted on X (formerly Twitter) by the Awami League.
The protests, which became increasingly violent, eventually led to Hasina’s ouster.
Deteriorating Relations with India
Tensions between India and Bangladesh have worsened since the interim government, led by Yunus, assumed power in August. The escalating violence against religious minorities, along with the arrest of Das, has contributed to the deepening rift between the two nations, once strong allies.
