‘What is this persecution of minorities for?’: In 1st public address, former PM Sheikh Hasina accuses Muhammad Yunus of genocide in Bangladesh

“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,” she said.

She also claimed that there were plans to assassinate her and her sister Sheikh Rehana, just as their father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated in 1975.

“The armed protesters were directed towards Ganabhaban. 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 said, referring to the storming of her official residence in Dhaka on 5 August.

In her speech, Hasina, who has long had a contentious relationship with Yunus, labelled the head of the Bangladesh caretaker government as “power-hungry”. She also reiterated her previous allegations of Yunus’s involvement in corruption and money laundering concerning the operations of Grameen Bank, which he founded to launch microfinance schemes.

“Hindus, Buddhists, Christians – no one has been spared. Eleven churches have been destroyed, temples and Buddhist shrines have been broken. When the Hindus protested, the Iskcon leader was arrested,” she said, in an indirect reference to the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.

“What is this persecution of minorities for? Why are they being ruthlessly persecuted and attacked?” she asked. “People no longer have the right to justice… I never even got the time to resign,” she added while speaking in Bengali.

Following the chaotic overthrow of Hasina in August, many of her supporters, including religious minorities, were targeted. Tensions have resurfaced after the arrest of Das in October. He was charged with sedition for protesting in Chittagong and allegedly raising a saffron flag above the Bangladeshi national flag, a colour associated with Hinduism.

Last week, a Chittagong court denied him bail, leading to clashes that resulted in the death of a Muslim lawyer. Dozens have been arrested in connection with the violence. On Tuesday, his bail hearing was postponed to January 2 due to a lack of legal representation.

Relations between India and Bangladesh have become strained since Yunus’s interim government took power. India has expressed concerns over attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus.