Bangladesh news: Sheikh Hasina hints at US role in first public remark since ouster, says ’resigned to avoid...’

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday hinted at the United States' role in her first public statement since her dramatic resignation and ouster amid ongoing unrest in the country.

“I resigned to avoid witnessing further violence. They aimed to seize power over the dead bodies of students, but I prevented that by resigning,” Hasina said, as quoted by The Economic Times.

“If I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal. I beseech to the people of my land, ‘Please do not be manipulated by radicals,” the Awami League leader added.

“My words were distorted to incite you. Watch the full video of that day to understand how conspirators have exploited your innocence to destabilise the nation,” Hasina clarified that she never called protestors ‘Razakars’.

Bangladesh is in political turmoil as Sheikh Hasina resigned on August 5 amid rising student protests against the government job quota system. For her safety, Hasina fled Dhaka and is now in a secure location in India. Now, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is heading an interim government to manage the transition and prepare for early elections.

At least two Hindu organizations in Bangladesh and members of minority communities have faced at least 205 attacks across 52 districts. Thousands of minority Hindu community members staged massive protest rallies in Bangladesh's capital and the north-eastern port city of Chattagram on Saturday.

Several Hindu temples, households and businesses have been vandalised, and at least two Hindu leaders affiliated with Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party have been killed in the violence since then.

Social media posts showed that in some areas, for the past several days, students, including madrassa students, have been guarding Hindu temples and their households across the country amid reports of a police force almost dysfunctional since August 5.

(With inputs from agencies)