NEW DELHI: Bangladesh on Thursday lodged a strong protest against what it said were “false and fabricated” statements by former premier Sheikh Hasina, currently in self-exile in New Delhi, and sought “appropriate measures” to stop her from making “incendiary” remarks on social media.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry handed over a protest note to India’s acting high commissioner in Dhaka a day after Hasina made a speech on her Awami League party’s social media channels during which she accused interim government chief Muhammad Yunus of conspiring to kill her and her sister Sheikh Rehana.
There was no official word from the Indian side on the development.
After stepping down in the face of nationwide protests last August, Hasina fled to India. Her presence in the country has emerged as an irritant in bilateral ties and the interim government in Dhaka has often bristled over her speeches on social media, during which she has attacked Yunus.
A statement from the foreign ministry in Dhaka said it lodged a strong protest with the Indian government over “false and fabricated comments and statements continuously being made in different platforms” by Hasina as this is “instigating instability in Bangladesh”.
The protest note handed over to the acting Indian high commissioner conveyed the Bangladesh government’s “deep concern, disappointment and serious reservation” as Hasina’s statements are “hurting the sentiments of the people”. The foreign ministry also said her activities are “considered as a hostile act towards Bangladesh” and not conducive to efforts to establish a healthy relationship between the two countries.
{{/usCountry}}The protest note handed over to the acting Indian high commissioner conveyed the Bangladesh government’s “deep concern, disappointment and serious reservation” as Hasina’s statements are “hurting the sentiments of the people”. The foreign ministry also said her activities are “considered as a hostile act towards Bangladesh” and not conducive to efforts to establish a healthy relationship between the two countries.
{{/usCountry}}The foreign ministry requested the Indian government to “immediately take appropriate measures, in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, to stop [Hasina] from making such false, fabricated and incendiary statements using social media and other communications while she is in India”.
Authorities filed dozens of criminal and other cases against her after she fled to India last August, including some related to extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances. The caretaker administration made a request for Hasina’s extradition on December 12 last year, saying she should be sent back to face the judicial process.
However, minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in a written response to a question in Rajya Sabha on Thursday that India is yet to respond to the extradition request. “The Government of Bangladesh has sought the extradition of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for offences allegedly committed before she came to India on 5th August 2024. No response has been conveyed to the Government of Bangladesh,” Singh said.
Also Read | Bangladesh: Testing India’s South Asia Doctrine
In a separate development, the Anjuman-e-Kaderiya, a religious group from Bangladesh, has withdrawn its request to Bangladesh Railways to arrange a special train for its members to travel to West Bengal to participate in the “Urs” or death anniversary of Sufi saint Hazrat Syed Murshed Ali Al-Qaderi Al-Baghdadi.
Thousands of members of Anjuman-e-Kaderiya travel to the Indian state every February for the event and special trains have been arranged for them since 1953. People familiar with the matter said this will be the first time in hundreds of years that the group’s members will not participate in the Urs in held in Medinipur.
The Indian side had obtained all clearances for the travel of the pilgrims and it wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the Anjuman-e-Kaderiya to cancel its request for the special train.