Bangladesh: 'Fear Cannot Decide My Duty,' Sheikh Hasina Vows Return, Defends Handling Of 2024 Unrest
· Free Press Journal
New Delhi, August 5, 2026: Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday vowed to return to Bangladesh despite facing multiple criminal cases, saying "fear cannot decide my duty to the people", as she defended her government’s handling of the July-August 2024 unrest in her first press conference since her ouster.
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Addressing reporters virtually from New Delhi, Hasina alleged that the anti-government protests were hijacked by extremist and foreign-backed forces seeking to overthrow her elected government.
She referred to Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, and claimed that the plan had been "divulged by Muhammad Yunus himself". She alleged that the students’ quota movement was subsequently turned into a single-point campaign seeking her removal.
Denies Ordering Violence
Hasina rejected allegations that her administration had ordered indiscriminate violence against protesters, maintaining that security forces exercised restraint despite widespread unrest.
She said her government had sought to resolve the quota issue through dialogue, appealed the High Court’s verdict and invited student leaders for talks. However, she alleged that organised groups used the agitation to seize power "outside the ballot box".
Hasina said police personnel, Awami League workers, journalists and civilians were among those killed during the violence. She accused "terrorist groups" of carrying out coordinated attacks on government installations and security personnel, while maintaining that law enforcement agencies acted only to restore order.
She claimed her government constituted a judicial inquiry commission on July 18, 2024, to investigate every death and incident of violence during the unrest. Hasina alleged that the interim administration led by Yunus stopped the investigation after assuming power.
She also claimed that those involved in the violence were granted indemnity. "If they truly wanted justice, why did they stop the inquiry?" she asked.
Alleges Crackdown And Economic Decline
Hasina alleged that thousands of Awami League leaders, workers and supporters, as well as police personnel, journalists, lawyers, judges and members of minority communities, had faced arrests, torture and violence since her ouster.
She described the 2024 movement as "a coordinated assault on the Constitution" and accused the current dispensation of suppressing dissent and targeting people associated with Bangladesh’s Liberation War.
Hasina also claimed that Bangladesh’s economy had deteriorated sharply over the past year, with GDP growth slowing, industrial production contracting for the first time in decades, bank defaults rising, poverty increasing and investment weakening.
She further alleged that the government was borrowing 700-900 crore taka every month from Bangladesh Bank to meet its expenses. According to Hasina, several factories had shut down, while a number of industrialists and business owners had either fled the country or gone into hiding.
Vows To Return
Despite facing multiple criminal cases, Hasina vowed to return to Bangladesh. "Fear cannot decide my duty to the people," she said.
She maintained that her return was "not about power" but about restoring "security, development, prosperity and peace" and putting Bangladesh "back on the right track."
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Sheikh Hasina's Son Sajeeb Wazed Raises Security Concerns, Says Bangladesh Has Become India's 'Eastern Pakistan' | VIDEOHasina, who fled to India after being removed from office in August 2024, said history would ultimately judge the circumstances surrounding the fall of her government. She also vowed to continue speaking out against what she described as an "unconstitutional seizure of power."
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