'Will return and avenge': Sheikh Hasina accuses Yunus of 'unleashing' terrorists, Bangladesh interim govt responds

The 16-year-long Hasina’s Awami League regime was toppled in a students’ uprising on August 5, 2024 when she fled Bangladesh for India.

Deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina has accused Bangladesh’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus for the “lawlessness” in the country and said he has “unleashed terrorists” on its people.

The 16-year-long Hasina’s Awami League regime was toppled in a students’ uprising on August 5, 2024 when she fled Bangladesh for India.

“He (Yunus) dissolved all inquiry committees and unleashed terrorists to butcher people. They are destroying Bangladesh,” Hasina said during a virtual interaction with widows and children of slain police officers killed during the July-August violent anti-government protests in 2024.

During the conversations, which appeared on social media on Tuesday, Hasina is seen consoling the mourning family members saying she was expecting to return home and avenge the killings.

“I will return and avenge the deaths of our policemen,” she said and added that when her government was toppled, she too narrowly escaped death, by the grace of God,” who definitely kept her alive “to do something good.” “Yunus has no experience in running a government,” the deposed prime minister said adding, “We need to put an end to this lawlessness.” The virtual conversation, via Zoom, was moderated by the party’s Europe Chapter Nazrul Islam.

In earlier social media appearances, Hasina had accused Yunus of hatching “a long, and well-designed plot to oust her government and grab the state power.” Last week, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) released a report titled ‘Human Rights Violations and Abuses related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh’ said that the unrest claimed some 1,400 lives.

The report covered the period from July 1 to August 15 during the violent agitation by protesting students who wanted Hasina’s ouster followed by days of attacks against Awami League supporters and minorities, including Hindus.

 What does Yunus govt say?

Muhammad Yunus’ Office has said Bangladesh’s interim government will continue efforts to extradite Hasina from India.

Chief Adviser Yunus’ press secretary Shafiqul Alam said, “Hasina’s extradition is our government’s top priority. Dhaka would continue its efforts to extradite Hasina to hold her trial in person.”

He said it was up to the people and political parties of Bangladesh to decide if her “fascist” Awami League would be able to carry on politics but those allegedly involved in killings, enforced disappearances and other wrongdoings must be brought to justice.

The spokesman said the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) fact-finding report, released last week, revealed that Hasina committed crimes against humanity during her tenure.

“After the report of the UN and some reports of rights groups were published, pressure has been mounted (on India to return Hasina to Bangladesh),” the state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) quoted him as saying.

Alam said a survey by an Indian media group showed that 55 per cent Indians wanted her repatriation while a certain per cent want to send her to another country and only 16-17 per cent wanted her stay in India.

Bangladesh’s Foreign Office earlier said they sent a diplomatic note seeking her repatriation and New Delhi acknowledged its receipt without any elaboration Hasina secretly fled the country for India when her nearly 16-year-long Awami League regime was toppled in a student-led mass uprising on August 5, 2024.