Dhaka asks India to restrain Hasina from making 'fabricated statements'

Bangladesh Urges India to Prevent Sheikh Hasina’s Statements

Bangladesh has called on India to prevent ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from making "false and fabricated" statements during her stay in the country, the foreign ministry announced.

Hasina fled to India last year following violent protests in Bangladesh that left over 1,000 people dead.

In an online address on Wednesday, she urged her supporters to resist the interim government, accusing it of unlawfully seizing power. Ahead of her speech, thousands of protesters gathered in Dhaka. In an effort to disrupt her address, they vandalized and set fire to the home of Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and Bangladesh’s founding leader. The violence escalated after she spoke.

Bangladesh’s foreign ministry lodged a formal protest with India’s acting high commissioner in Dhaka, expressing "deep concern, disappointment, and serious reservations" over Hasina’s remarks, according to a statement posted on its Facebook page.

"The ministry has requested India to take immediate and appropriate measures, in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, to stop her from making such false, fabricated, and incendiary statements while she is in India," the statement read.

Hasina was unavailable for comment.

While India did not officially respond to Bangladesh’s concerns, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned the destruction of Rahman’s home as an "act of vandalism."

"It is regrettable. All those who value the freedom struggle that shaped Bangladeshi identity and pride recognize the significance of this residence in the nation’s consciousness," he said.

Rahman had declared Bangladesh’s independence from that house in 1971, and he, along with most of his family, was assassinated there in 1975. Hasina later converted the building into a museum honoring her father’s legacy.

The press office of Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, stated on Thursday that the attack on Rahman’s residence was a reaction to Hasina’s "violent behavior."

"The government expects India to ensure its territory is not used for destabilizing activities in Bangladesh and to prevent Sheikh Hasina from making further statements," it said.

Since Hasina’s departure to India in August, Bangladesh has faced ongoing political turmoil, with the interim government struggling to maintain law and order amid continuous protests and unrest.

India and Bangladesh, which share a 4,000-kilometer (2,500-mile) border and maritime boundaries in the Bay of Bengal, have longstanding cultural and economic ties. India also played a key role in Bangladesh’s independence war against Pakistan in 1971.