‘Burning minorities to death’: Sheikh Hasina attacks Yunus regime in Bangladesh; accuses 'illegal' power grab

NEW DELHI: Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday accused the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus of perpetrating “unspeakable atrocities” against non-Muslims, alleging that religious minorities were being targeted following her removal from power.In a message issued on the occasion of Christmas, the 78-year-old Awami League leader said the current ruling group had seized power illegally and was setting “horrific precedents such as burning religious minorities to death,” in an apparent reference to the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh last week.“In particular, it is perpetrating unspeakable atrocities against non-Muslims. It has even set horrific precedents such as burning religious minorities to death. I firmly believe that the people of Bangladesh will not allow this dark time to continue any longer,” Hasina said.She also accused the Yunus government of interfering with the freedom of people of all religions and communities to practise their faiths, and said the situation had worsened since her government was ousted in August last year.The Hindu population in Bangladesh has been affected by a series of incidents targeting minority communities following the change in power. Last week, a 25-year-old Hindu worker was lynched by a mob in Mymensingh city. On Monday, minority groups held protests in Dhaka over what they described as the interim government’s failure to prevent persecution of minorities.Hasina said she hoped Christmas would strengthen bonds of harmony and goodwill between Christians and followers of other religions in Bangladesh.“On this festive occasion of Christmas, I wish all Christian brothers and sisters happiness, peace, and prosperity,” she said.“May darkness give way to dawn. May Bangladesh live forever,” she added.Meanwhile, Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting chairman Tarique Rahman landed in Dhaka on Thursday, ending more than 17 years of self-exile in the United Kingdom, amid renewed political uncertainty and unrest in the country.Rahman’s return comes in the aftermath of the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who played a key role in the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. BNP Standing Committee members received Rahman at the airport, where he arrived with his wife Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman.The 60-year-old son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who is unwell, has emerged as a leading contender for prime minister in the February general elections.The BNP emerged as a frontrunner in the changed political landscape following the toppling of the Awami League government during a student-led violent movement known as the July Uprising on August 5, 2024.The interim government later disbanded the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act through an executive order, leaving Jamaat-e-Islami and its Islamist allies, once BNP’s partners during the 2001-2006 tenure, as its main rivals.Rahman’s return has also assumed significance amid Jamaat’s efforts to expand its influence in Bangladesh’s fractured political landscape.The BNP had announced Rahman’s return on December 12, triggering speculation after he wrote in a Facebook post on November 29 that, “like any child,” he longed to be near his critically ill mother at her “moment of crisis”.