Sheikh Hasina slams Yunus regime as ‘fascist’, vows justice for atrocities

Dhaka/Kolkata: Bangladesh’s deposed premier Sheikh Hasina has launched a fierce attack on the interim administration, accusing its Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus of running a “fascist regime” that allows terrorists and fundamentalists to act without restraint. In a virtual address to a gathering of overseas Awami League supporters in London on Sunday, Hasina accused Yunus of being the “mastermind” behind the July-August turmoil that ousted her government and vowed to bring him and his allies to justice under Bangladeshi law.

She criticized Yunus and his interim government for their alleged persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh.

“Since August 5, the attacks on minorities, places of worship of Hindus, Christians and Buddhists have been rampant. We condemn it. The Jamaat and terrorists are having a free run under the new regime,” she said. The audio recording of Hasina’s address was shared on the Facebook page of the Bangladesh Students’ League and Bangladesh Awami League.

Her remarks came ahead of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s visit to Dhaka Monday where he raised India’s concerns over the safety of minorities, flagging “regrettable incidents of attacks on cultural, religious and diplomatic properties” in the country.

There have been a spate of incidents of violence against Hindus and other minorities, as well as attacks on temples in Bangladesh in the last few weeks that triggered strong concerns in New Delhi.

“Bangladesh is now under the grip of a fascist regime where people’s democratic rights have been obliterated. Our government’s achievements in poverty alleviation and infrastructure development, strengthening of democracy were being undone under Yunus’s leadership,” Hasina said during her 37-minute virtual address over the phone.

Hasina accused the Yunus government of providing clemency to terrorists and criminals, including those involved in arson and murders.

“The release of convicted criminals and terrorists, including those responsible for attacks on the Bangladesh Parliament and other atrocities, proves the complicity of this government,” she alleged.

Hasina vowed that those responsible for the alleged atrocities under the Yunus administration would be brought to justice. “Md Yunus and his allies are the masterminds of the July-August unrest in the country. They are behind the killing of students and policemen, arson and atrocities.”