Sheikh Hasina slams Muhammad Yunus in first public address since leaving Bangladesh: ‘mastermind of genocide’

Ousted Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina slammed country's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of persecuting minorities. In virtual address at an event in New York, which is her first public address after taking shelter in India following her resignation in August, she claimed that there were plans to assassinate her and her sister Sheikh Rehana just like their father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in 1975.

Hasina, referring to the attack of her official residence in Dhaka on August 5, said, "The armed protestors were directed towards Ganabhaban. If the security guards opened fire, many lives would have been lost. It was a matter of 25-30 minutes, and I was forced to leave. I told them [guards] not to fire no matter what happened."

"Today, I am being accused of genocide. In reality, Yunus has been involved in genocide in a meticulously designed manner. The masterminds -- the student coordinators and Yunus -- are behind this genocide," she said at the event on Sunday.

Hasina said the current ruling dispensation in Dhaka failed to protect the minorities.

In an oblique reference to the arrest of Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, Hasina said the current ruling dispensation in Dhaka failed to protect the minorities."Hindus, Buddhists, Christians -- no one has been spared. Eleven churches have been razed, temples and Buddhist shrines have been broken. When the Hindus protested, the Iskcon leader was arrested."

"What is this persecution of minorities for? Why are they being ruthlessly persecuted and attacked?" she said.

"People no longer have the right to justice... I never even got the time to resign," she said speaking in Bengali.

Hasina said she left Bangladesh in August with an aim to stop the violence, but that did not happen.

India-Bangladesh relations strained under Yunus' interim government, with India raising concerns over attacks on minorities, especially Hindus. Hasina, staying in India since anti-government protests in July and August, alleged in her Vijay Diwas speech that there was a plot to assassinate her.

"When people were dying indiscriminately, I decided I should leave," she said.

There has been a spate of attacks on minorities including on the Hindu community in Bangladesh in the last few months.

India last week said the interim government in Bangladesh must live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities as it expressed serious concern over the "surge" of extremist rhetoric and increasing incidents of violence against Hindus.