Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister recently recalled how she and her sister Sheikh Rehana narrowly escaped death by a few minutes after a violent revolution toppled her government last year. As per reports, Hasina posted an audio clip on Facebook on Friday in which she recounted the time when she had to flee her country to save herself.
Hasina, who was forced to step down following a violent revolution on August 5 last year, alleged that there was a conspiracy to kill her and her sister. “Rehana and I survived – just 20-25 minutes apart, we escaped death,” she said. Hasina recalled how she faced life-threatening situations many times in her life. She thanked God for saving her life. “I just feel that surviving the killings on August 21 or surviving the huge bomb in Kotalipara, surviving on this time August 5, 2024, there must be a will of Allah, a hand of Allah. Otherwise, I am not going to survive this time. You later saw how they planned to kill me”, said Hasina. “However, it seems to be a mercy of Allah that I am still alive because Allah wants me to do something more”, she added.
Hasina is lodged in an undisclosed location in India
The Bangladesh Awami League leader had to flee Bangladesh in August last year after her government collapsed due to widespread protests that started as anti-quota protests and later turned into the massacre of Hindu minorities and the destruction of their temples. She said that there was a plot to kill her just like how her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, was assassinated in 1975.
As a mob of violent protestors reached Gana Bhavan, Hasina decided to step down and leave to prevent her security guards from having to open fire at the violent mob. Hasina came to India on August 5 which was intended to be a short stay as she sought asylum in the United Kingdom. However, the UK government refused to grant her asylum. As a result, her stay in India was further extended.
Bangladesh interim government sought Hasina’s extradition
Last year in December, the interim government of Bangladesh officially requested India to extradite Sheikh Hasina. The request was conveyed through a “note verbale” to the Indian government, as confirmed by Touhid Hossain, the Foreign Affairs Adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government.
However, due to a lack of clarity regarding the extradition treaty between the two countries, her extradition is uncertain. The interim government revoked the passports of 97 Bangladeshi nationals including Sheikh Hasina, for their alleged involvement in protest-related crimes.
