Bangladesh’s interim government Information Advisor Mahfuj Alam has claimed that over one lakh members of Sheikh Hasina’s ousted Awami League have fled to India, according to media reports. Speaking at an Eid gathering in Dhaka, organized by human rights group “Mayer Dak,” Alam alleged that Hasina’s regime was marked by enforced disappearances and political assassinations.
Alam accused Hasina of using disappearances and killings as a means of avenging her parents’ assassination. “The highest number of enforced disappearances occurred in 2013 and 2014 when people were fighting for their voting rights. The aim was to destroy the electoral system,” he said. He added that the current government has formed a commission to investigate such cases, with arrest warrants already issued against several individuals.
Slamming the Awami League, Alam claimed that those opposing Hasina were falsely branded as terrorists and militants before being forcibly disappeared. He further alleged that state institutions were weaponized for political persecution.
Taking a direct swipe at Hasina, Alam accused her of conspiring against Bangladesh from India. “It is unfortunate that India has chosen to shelter her and her terrorist forces. Nearly 100,000 Awami League members have taken refuge there,” he said. He further declared that the Awami League would never be allowed to regain political ground in Bangladesh, calling it a “mafia group.”
Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh for 16 years, was ousted on August 5 last year in a violent student-led uprising. Since then, the 77-year-old leader has reportedly been residing in India. Facing over 100 cases—including charges of mass murder and corruption—she, along with many of her party leaders and ministers, either fled the country or were arrested.
Following her removal, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge as the Chief Adviser of the interim government. The Awami League has since vanished from Bangladesh’s political landscape. Hasina and her senior aides have also been indicted by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for alleged crimes against humanity during last year’s protests. Ironically, the same tribunal was established under her regime to prosecute those accused of war crimes during Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War.
