On 3rd December Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, accused Muhammad Yunus, the leader of the country’s interim government, of mass murders and targeting minorities in the midst of increased turmoil and escalating anti-Hindu violence in the country. She slammed him for the series of attacks on temples, churches and the religious organization Iskcon during a fierce virtual address at an Awami League event in New York.
She directly attributed the unrest, especially the vicious attacks on religious minorities, to Yunus and his associates, including student activists. “Today, I have been accused of mass killings. In reality, it is Muhammad Yunus who is responsible for mass killings through a meticulously designed plan along with the student co-ordinators. They are the masterminds. Even Tarique Rahman (Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader and Khaleda Zia’s son) from London has said that if the deaths continue, then the government won’t last,” she charged.
Hasina had to leave the country in August as her Awami League government collapsed due to widespread anti-quota protests which soon turned into a regime change colour revolution and then devolved into rape and massacre of Hindus and destruction of their temples, homes and properties. “Today, teachers, police are all being attacked and killed. Hindus, Buddhists, Christians are being targeted. Churches and several temples have been attacked. Why are minorities being targeted in Bangladesh now,” she asked.
The violent demonstrations that eventually forced her to leave Bangladesh were also the subject of the accusations. She disclosed that there had been a plot to kill her, akin to the 1975 assassination of her father and founder of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “There was a plan to assassinate me, just like my father,” she mentioned.
She described how an armed mob encircled Gana Bhavan, her home, with the intention of murdering her and noted, “When people were being killed indiscriminately, I decided I shall leave, I don’t need to be in power. Had security men opened fire, so many would have died at Gana Bhavan. I did not want that. It was a matter of 25-30 minutes, but I told my security not to open fire. I did not want a massacre.”
Her close advisers unveiled that she decided to resign because she wanted to put an end to any further chaos. She stepped down as premier to prevent the violence, which had already taken over 200 lives, from becoming more severe, an aide told the media. Hasina had previously implied that the protests were being orchestrated by outside parties, such as the United States, with the intention of overthrowing her administration.
“I resigned so I did not have to see the procession of dead bodies. They wanted to come to power over the dead bodies of students, but I did not allow it,” she confided in her associates. In an emotional moment, Hasina expressed that she felt that even more people would have died and resources would have been destroyed if she had stayed in power. She urged her supporters to maintain their hope and stated, “If I had remained in the country, more lives would have been lost, more resources would have been destroyed. I made the extremely difficult decision to exit. I became your leader because you chose me, you were my strength.”
“Don’t lose hope. I will return soon. I have lost, but the people of Bangladesh have won, the people for whom my father, my family died,” she declared. Hasina arrived in India on 5th August after escaping from Bangladesh, where she was first granted a short stay. However, since the United Kingdom rejected her asylum request, her stay has been extended.
