Deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in exile in India, has launched a vitriolic attack on Nobel Prize winner Dr Muhammad Yunus and the caretaker administration he heads. Addressing her followers in a strongly worded virtual speech on Sunday, Hasina branded Yunus a “loan shark” and alleged that he was in cahoots with international forces to destabilise Bangladesh in pursuit of personal interests.

In her eight-minute address, Hasina did not mince words, accusing widespread political repression, erasure of the nation’s liberation history, and a deliberate attempt to ruin Bangladesh’s economy. She also challenged the account of Abu Sayeed’s death, a student demonstrator who became a symbol of anti-government protest after her removal.

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“Yunus Is Driven by Power and Greed”

“That loan shark, power-hungry, money-hungry, self-centred person hatched a foreign conspiracy and used wealth from abroad to destroy the country. The BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) and Jamaat-e-Islami are carrying out (political) murders and harassing (Awami League leaders),” Sheikh Hasina declared without mincing any words in lambasting Yunus.

She charged Yunus with erasing the achievements of the Awami League for Bangladesh’s liberation war and said, “All signs of Bangladesh’s freedom movement are being removed. Mukti Joddhas (freedom fighters) are being insulted. We had built Mukti Joddha Complexes in all districts to keep their memories alive, but those are being burnt down. Will Dr Yunus be able to justify this?”

Sheikh Hasina Targeted Awami League, Igoring Vandals

Sheikh Hasina accused the caretaker regime of targeting Awami League leaders deliberately while ignoring real perpetrators of violence. “Awami League leaders are being implicated in the killing of vandals. The people who set police stations on fire and beat policemen to death are not being prosecuted. Cases are being registered against Awami League leaders. Our leaders cannot remain indoors, everything has been ruined,” she said.

“If you play with fire, it will burn you too,” she added.

She accused the present government, aided by the BNP, of bringing an economic shock that has devastated Bangladesh’s industry. “Thousands of factories have since closed down, and those owned by Awami leaders have been torched. Industries are being completed. Hotels, hospitals, everything is being torched,” Hasina claimed.

Questions Over Protester’s Death and UN Report

One of the central aspects of her speech addressed the killing of student activist Abu Sayeed during a confrontation while taking part in the quota reform protests last year. His murder created a nationwide uproar and made him a martyr for the student movement. Earlier in February, a UN fact-finding report determined that Sayeed had fallen victim to a “deliberate extrajudicial killing” by the police using bullets with a caliber of 7.62 mm.

Hasina refuted this accusation, however, and accused outside conspirators. “Abu Sayeed was struck by a rubber bullet. The police did not fire metal bullets. A stone hit his head when they were hurling stones at the police. Even the police were entitled to defend themselves when attacked. But where did the 7.62 mm bullet originate? Who took that rifle to the protest?” she asked.

She also accused an official who tried to identify the origin of the bullet of being replaced from his job. “When one official identified the bullet and promised to see which civilians possess this kind of weapon, Yunus replaced him. He did this because he is the one to blame for this killing.”

Conspiracy Charges and Denial of Justice

Sheikh Hasina charged Yunus with preventing a judicial investigation into the deaths of protesters. “I constituted a judicial enquiry committee in July to investigate the death of protesters, but Yunus did not allow them to function. Now dig up Sayeed’s body and do a forensic test. It will be established that all the killings were a conspiracy. I killed them not, nor Awami League nor police,” she stated.

“Those who unleashed violence were indemnified. Will they be brought to book? No, because Yunus masterminded this. It was part of his careful plan.”

Country in Crisis Under Interim Rule, Says Sheikh Hasina

The ex-Prime Minister alleged that the existing regime has dismembered state institutions and substituted professionals with political workers. “Top doctors and surgeons were removed. Political activists were provided with police uniforms. Are they competent for the job? No rules were followed,” she complained, threatening increased unemployment and farm distress.

Thousands of workers are unemployed. Farmers are upset. Hardworking individuals are losing their livelihoods. They are humiliating humans at every step. I cannot allow this to go on,” she said, reaffirming her determination to return and take back the reins.

Exile, Arrest Warrant, and India’s Role

Hasina, who escaped to India in August 2024, fearing for her life, has promised to go back to Bangladesh. “This was the reason Allah had kept me alive,” she said to her supporters. In the meantime, a new arrest warrant has been issued against her by a Dhaka court.

Meanwhile, she continues to address her supporters through the official social media accounts of her party. Consequently, her tirades have prompted diplomatic action from the interim government. During her latest meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yunus allegedly accused Hasina of attempting to destabilize Bangladesh and urged India to rein her in.

Earlier, India had complained of the treatment of Hindus in Bangladesh, but Dhaka dismissed such reports as exaggerated and unfounded. Meanwhile, diplomatic tensions continue to persist as the political crisis in Bangladesh grows deeper under Yunus’ contentious leadership