India Does Not Own Sheikh Hasina's Comments on Bangladesh

Overthrown Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who took shelter in India disgracefully after being ousted following the Anti-Discriminatory Students' Movement, has received no endorsement from the Indian government for her statements, according to Indian External Affairs Secretary Vikram Misri.

As reported by a broad range of media outlets on Thursday (12 December 2024), Vikram Misri stated during a briefing with India's Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, led by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, that India does not support former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's attacking remarks on Bangladesh's interim government. Vikram Misri called Sheikh Hasina's comments a minor and ignoble issue in the context of India-Bangladesh alliance.

Vikram Misri emphasized that India's relationship with Bangladesh is not confined to any single political party or government but is focused on the people of Bangladesh.

Vikram Misri further clarified that India has not provided Sheikh Hasina with any platform, consent or facilities, neither officially nor unofficially, to conduct political activities from Indian soil, as India traditionally avoids hammering interventions on other countries' internal matters, Vikram Misri affirmed.

This statement from the Indian External Affairs Secretary comes in the middle of uptight tensed circumstances between Bangladesh and India after Sheikh Hasina's exile in India following the mass uprising that culminated into the Glorious July Revolution and unseated Sheikh Hasina from top state power which she had managed to keep inside her clutch in various controversial ways for 15 years. Vikram Misri highlighted India's commitment to stronger ties with the Bangladeshi people and to sound, solid and uninterrupted cooperative engagement with the current interim government, led by Chief Adviser Nobel Prize winner Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

To look back, Sheikh Hasina's role as Bangladesh Prime Minister from 2009 to 2024 was tattered with repulsive blemishes like widespread corruption, enormous nepotism, thorough politicization of state machineries, brazen human rights violations, crackdowns on journalists, killing and tormenting political opponents, demonizing the law and order forces, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, plundering banks, stock markets and financial institutions, unobstructed money laundering and many more severely deplorable stuff.

The United States of America imposed embargoes on a broad number of senior police officers and high-ranking officers belonging to Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in 2021 on charges of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and flouting human rights in every possible way. Even lots of leaders and activists working for Sheikh Hasina's political party Awami League were repressed, gagged and deprived grossly during all these years because they spoke out the truth. Sheikh Hasina, according to allegations from reliable sources, preferred unfit and useless leaders and bureaucrats who would remain loyal to her unlawful orders. High-profile delegations from the US State Department and European Union visited Bangladesh several times during Sheikh Hasina's reign and they urged Sheikh Hasina to ensure equal rights, freedom of expression, justice and fair elections but neither Sheikh Hasina nor her cabinet colleagues paid heed to these suggestions. The elections which were conducted during Sheikh Hasina's ruling span were all comprehensively rigged while ballot boxes were stuffed the night before polls.

These things appeared in newspapers across Bangladesh but nobody dared to oppose or criticize these malpractices because Sheikh Hasina's government exercised some inhuman black laws like Digital Security Act and Cyber Security Act with which critics were abducted, tortured, sued and remanded. The last 15 years under Awami League, Bangladeshis, according to most of the prominent citizens, had to undergo a reign of horror and panic. On top of that Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) was allowed to carry on extortions all over Bangladesh in broad daylight. Anyone who declined to pay money to BCL leaders was beaten up, assaulted or even murdered.

Sheikh Hasina turned one influential intelligence division into a monstrous organization from 2009 to 2024. Most of the victims of enforced disappearances landed in secret detention chambers called Ayna Ghor. Right after Sheikh Hasina's unabashed runaway to India on 5 August 2024, hundreds of prisoners were released from Ayna Ghor which included Islamic scholars, political leaders, journalists, army officers and so on.

However, Awami League continued besmirching the interim government through a smear campaign even after Sheikh Hasina was ousted. Most of the content posted by Awami League on social media since August 2024 till now has been reportedly false, concocted, provocative and groundless. The Indian government over and over again condemned the interim government headed by Dr. Muhammad Yunus for attacks on Hindus in the wake of Sheikh Hasina's dethronement. Anyway the latest statement by Indian External Affairs Secretary Vikram Misri appears to have somewhat alleviated and mitigated the tensed situation which prevailed between the two countries.

The worst thing happened when a gang of communal Indians launched an attack on Bangladesh Consulate in Indian state Tripura recently for which the central Indian government apologized to Dhaka instantly. Nevertheless, since India has been Bangladesh's longstanding geopolitical ally, largest neighbour and an important development partner, both sides should exhibit restraint for the sake of retaining friendly affiliations between Dhaka and New Delhi.