The government of Bangladesh has formally requested India to prevent former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from making what it describes as “false and misleading” statements during her stay in the country, according to the nation’s foreign ministry.
Hasina fled to India last year following violent protests in Bangladesh that resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people.
During an online speech on Wednesday, she urged her supporters to oppose Bangladesh’s interim government, accusing it of assuming power through unconstitutional means.
Ahead of her address, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Dhaka. In an effort to disrupt her speech, they vandalized and set fire to the home of Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and the founding leader of Bangladesh. The unrest persisted even after her address concluded.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry has conveyed its concerns to India’s acting high commissioner in Dhaka through a diplomatic note, expressing “serious concerns, disappointment, and strong objections” to Hasina’s statements. The ministry issued a statement on its official social media platform emphasizing the request for India to “take immediate measures, in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, to prevent her from making incendiary and baseless remarks while in India.”
Efforts to obtain Hasina’s response were unsuccessful.
Although the Indian government has not commented on the protest note, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned the attack on Rahman’s residence, describing it as an “act of vandalism.”
“It is truly regrettable. Those who value Bangladesh’s struggle for independence understand the historical significance of this residence,” Jaiswal said.
Rahman had declared Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971 from that very house, which later became the site of his assassination, along with most of his family, in 1975.
Hasina had converted the residence into a museum honoring her father’s legacy.
Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, stated on Thursday that the attack on Rahman’s home was provoked by Hasina’s “incendiary rhetoric.”
“The government expects India to ensure that its territory is not used for activities that destabilize 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 stability amid persistent protests and unrest.
India and Bangladesh, which share a 4,000-kilometer land border and maritime boundaries in the Bay of Bengal, maintain deep cultural and economic ties.
