Bangladesh violence: Mounting a scathing attack on Muhammad Yunus and describing him as 'power-hungry, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her first public address, accusing the country's interim leader of perpetrating 'genocide' and failing to protect minorities including Hindus. Hasina who fled Bangladesh four months back delivered virtually to her supporters at an event in New York also claimed that there were plans to kill her and her sister Sheikh Rehana just like their father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in 1975.
According to reports, Hasina, who is presently living in India, Hasina alleged that the places of worship in Bangladesh are under attack and the current dispensation has totally failed to deal with the situation. Though Hasina made several statements in the last few months, it was her first public address after taking shelter.
"The armed protesters were directed towards Ganabhaban (prime minister's official residence). If the security guards 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 not to fire no matter what happened," she said, speaking in Bengali. "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.
"Hindus, Buddhists, Christians — no one has been spared. Eleven churches have been razed, temples and Buddhist shrines have been broken. When the Hindus protested, the Iskcon leader was arrested," she said in an oblique reference to 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 said.
Hasina said she left Bangladesh in August with an aim to stop the violence. However, the situation has deteriorated further, she said. "When people were dying indiscriminately, I decided I should leave," she said.
