Hasina accuses Yunus of committing genocide

Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sharply criticised the country’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of “genocide” and failing to protect the nation’s religious minorities.

In an address given virtually at a New York event, Hasina, who fled Bangladesh amid mass protests in August, pointed to the recent persecution of Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians in the country.

She alleged that Yunus was responsible for orchestrating a systematic campaign of violence against these communities.

Hasina levelled these allegation at her first publicly delivered speech after her resignation in the face of anti-government demonstrations earlier this year.

In her remarks, she not only condemned the treatment of minorities under Yunus’ administration but also claimed that there were plans to assassinate her and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, echoing the tragic fate of their father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1975.

Accusations of ‘genocide’

Speaking at an event hosted to commemorate Bangladesh’s ‘Vijay Diwas’, Hasina accused Yunus of “genocide,” calling it a well-organised campaign.

“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,” Hasina said.

Hasina pointed to several incidents of violence, including the destruction of Hindu temples, Buddhist shrines, and churches.

“Hindus, Buddhists, Christians—no one has been spared,” she said, adding that eleven churches had been destroyed and religious leaders persecuted. In a veiled reference to the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, Hasina questioned why minorities were being “ruthlessly persecuted and attacked.”

‘Forced to leave Bangladesh’

Hasina’s speech also focused on her own experiences during the political crisis in Bangladesh. Describing the storming of her official residence in Dhaka on August 5, Hasina said she was forced to leave the country after armed protestors were directed toward Ganabhaban, her residence.

“If the security guards had 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 [guards] not to fire no matter what happened,” she recounted.

Despite her attempt to calm the situation, Hasina said the violence continued to escalate, leading her to flee Bangladesh.

“I left Bangladesh in August with the aim to stop the violence, but that did not happen,” she lamented, describing how people in the country were no longer able to access justice.

India concerned for Bangladesh

Hasina’s departure and subsequent comments have also strained relations between India and Bangladesh, especially since the interim government under Yunus assumed power.

India has expressed serious concerns about the escalating violence against minorities, particularly the Hindu community, in Bangladesh. Last week, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reiterated its concerns, urging the interim government to protect all religious communities.

“Our position on the matter is very clear—the interim government must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

He had expressed alarm over the “surge” of extremist rhetoric and violence in Bangladesh, emphasizing that these developments could not simply be dismissed as media exaggeration.

Jaiswal had also addressed the case of Chinmoy Krishna Das, the Hindu monk arrested on charges of sedition, calling for the case to be handled “in a just, fair, and transparent manner.”

(With inputs from PTI)