• Source:JND
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Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, has accused Muhammad Yunus, who is currently leading the interim government, of being responsible for mass killings and the persecution of minorities in the country. 

Speaking virtually at an Awami League event in New York, Hasina, who has been in India since the coup in the neighbouring country, condemned Yunus for his alleged involvement in a series of violent attacks on religious minorities, particularly targeting temples, churches, and the Iskcon community, amid ongoing unrest in the country. 

"Today, I have been accused of mass killings. In reality, it is Muhammad Yunus who has indulged in mass killings through a meticulously designed plan along with the student coordinators. They are the masterminds. Even Tarique Rahman (BNP leader and Khaleda Zia's son) from London has said that if the deaths continue, then the government won't last," Hasina was quoted as saying by India Today. 

Highlighting deep concern over the growing attacks on minorities in the country, Hasina said that teachers, police, and political leaders are facing atrocities. Additionally, she condemned the targeting of religious minorities, including Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians. 

Hasina stated that 11 churches and several temples had been attacked, including an assault on the ISKCON temple. She further questioned the Muhammad Yunus-led government as to why such attacks on minorities are taking place in Bangladesh now.

This comes amid rising attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh soon after Hasina fled the country on August 5 following violent student protests seeking her resignation. Following Hasina’s resignation and departure from Dhaka, hundreds of thousands of protesters defied the curfew, marched the capital's streets and later stormed the Prime Minister's palace. 

The arrest of ISKCON priest Chinmoy Krishna Das also resulted in a surge of violent attacks on the minority Hindu community. Hasina also claimed that there was a plot to assassinate her, similar to the killing of her father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She stated that she left Bangladesh at the time to avoid a potential ‘massacre’. 

Hasina also recalled the final moments when she was leaving Bangladesh and described how an armed mob arrived at Gana Bhavan with the intent to assassinate her.