'At no time I issued an order': Sheikh Hasina on killings of 2024 protesters | Firstpost Exclusive

Bangladesh’s ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has dismissed allegations that she authorised the use of live ammunition during the 2024 protests, which rights groups and the UN say left more than 1,400 people dead, insisting that security forces were reacting to rapidly escalating violence.

In an exclusive written interview with Firstpost, Hasina was asked whether she ever approved firing on demonstrators. “The claim that I directed security forces to open fire on crowds is completely false. At no time did I issue such an order,” she said.

She added that security personnel were responding to chaotic conditions on the ground. “It is clear that there was needless bloodshed and that efforts to control order failed, and I certainly regret that.

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But we acted in good faith, and it is neither fair nor accurate to frame this as a premeditated assault on citizens.”

Hasina also challenged the widely cited death toll of 1,400. “The figure of 1,400 deaths is based on undocumented estimates. It conflicts with smaller numbers released by the Ministry of Health,” she noted.

Calling the events a national tragedy, she stressed the need for transparency from the interim administration. “Any life lost is one too many… But it is a great shame that the interim government still has not released a documented list of the dead… it appears the interim government is happy instead to let this back-of-the-envelope calculation of 1,400 circulate – presumably because it believes this will damage the Awami League’s popularity.”

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Hasina went on to accuse Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who heads the interim government, of attempting to “perpetuate control by an unelected elite” as she renewed her call for a free and fair election. She argued that India, observing the situation closely, recognises the risks of excluding the Awami League from the electoral process.

“India, as Bangladesh’s oldest friend and the largest democracy in our region, understands that elections without the participation of all major political parties cannot be considered legitimate… India wants a reliable partner in Dhaka, not a government holding power without popular consent,” she said.

Hasina also criticised Yunus’s foreign policy posture, warning that “alienation from India is dangerous.” She said Bangladesh must maintain strong ties with both India and China but argued that the interim government has disrupted that balance.

“What concerns me about Yunus’s approach is not engagement with China itself, but the context in which it’s happening, which seemingly includes a dangerous alienation from India,” she said.

Emphasising the depth of bilateral relations, she added, “India and Bangladesh share a 4,000-kilometre border, deep cultural ties, and critical security interests. No amount of engagement with China can replace this fundamental relationship.”

Hasina also expressed alarm over rising attacks on minorities since August. “The systematic attacks on Hindu communities and other minorities since August 2024 are not random acts of violence. They are part of a deliberate campaign by extremist elements who have been emboldened and abetted by the current administration,” she said.