Dhaka, Aug 5 (PTI) Bangladesh on Wednesday expressed outrage over deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s media interaction in New Delhi, saying the event has hurt the sentiments of its people and could
adversely affect efforts to improve bilateral ties with India.
During an audio-only virtual press conference, her first public media interaction since fleeing to India on August 5, 2024, following a massive protest, Hasina declared that she is determined to return to Bangladesh in December to put the country on the “right track”.
Attendees were unable to see the former prime minister and heard only her voice.
Reacting to the press conference, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in a statement said Bangladesh is “outraged” that the “absconding convicted” Hasina was allowed to engage in live interaction with the media in New Delhi.
The ministry said it had conveyed its concerns to the Government of India in advance about the “likely ramifications” of the event for bilateral relations, but the interaction was allowed to take place.
The statement said Bangladesh desires to maintain a “constructive, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking relationship with India based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, and national dignity”.
On the contrary, it said, permitting Hasina to publicly interact with the media has hurt public sentiment in Bangladesh and was “detrimental to the development of harmonious bilateral relations” between the two neighbours.
The MoFA expressed disappointment that its requests seeking Hasina’s return under the India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty signed in 2013 had not yet received a response.
Last November, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Dhaka for alleged “crimes against humanity” over her government’s brutal crackdown on student-led protests in 2024.
Since the verdict, Dhaka has been urging New Delhi to extradite her to face the law.
The statement described Hasina’s remarks from India as an “affront” to Bangladesh’s sovereignty and an insult to those who lost their lives during the July Revolution.
The ministry also rejected Hasina’s comments on the July-August 2024 violence, alleging that they sought to deny findings documented by the United Nations regarding civilian casualties during the unrest.
During her virtual media interaction, Hasina alleged that the protests in Bangladesh in July and August 2024 that resulted in the collapse of her government were not a peaceful student movement.
She alleged that “organised groups” worked to turn the movement into a “violent political instrument”.
“It was not simply a spontaneous student protest. There was no visible or responsible leadership. Instructions were given invisibly. It was organised and used to create a path to power outside the ballot box,” Hasina alleged.
Reiterating its commitment to the ideals of the July Revolution, the MoFA statement said the people of Bangladesh have rejected any attempt to return to what it described as “the dark days of fascism”.
According to a February 2025 UN rights office report, up to 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 last year, the period dubbed as the ‘July Uprising,’ as Hasina’s government ordered a security crackdown on protesters. PTI SCY SCY
