Sheikh Hasina said the 2024 quota protests, which eventually led to her ouster, were not a peaceful student agitation but part of an organised effort to bring about a change in regime.
Published: August 5, 2026, 9:37 PM IST
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Sheikh Hasina gave a virtual press conferenceFile image/PTI
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday stated that the July-August 2024 unrest that led to her ouster “was not a peaceful student movement”, but an organised campaign that turned a quota reform protest into a ‘violent political instrument’ aimed at regime changeShe further stressed that the broader regional significance of stability in Dhaka, the former prime minister said, “A stable Bangladesh matter for South Asia, for the Bay of Bengal, for development partners, and for all countries that live in democracy, rule of law, and justice.”
Reflecting on her exile and her unbroken bond with her country, the former prime minister said, “…I speak as someone who has spent her life with the people of Bangladesh and was forced away from my country, but I was never separated from my people…” Expressing deep anguish over the ongoing turmoil in her nation, Hasina added, “For the last two years, I watched my beloved Bangladesh suffer…This is not the Bangladesh we built, this is not the Bangladesh for which 3 million people sacrificed their lives in 1971.”
Directly addressing the widespread unrest of mid-2024, Hasina maintained that her administration had initially sought to resolve the agitation peacefully before covert forces hijacked the movement“Let me begin with the truth about July and August 2024It was not a peaceful student movementFrom the beginning, my government tried to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue, legal process, and patienceBut behind the language of reform, organised groups were working to turn students demand into violent political instrument,” she said.
How did demonstrations escalate?
Elaborating on how the demonstrations escalated, Hasina added, “The quota reform movement was turned into a one-point demand for my resignationFalse propaganda was spread in a planned wayGenuine students were emotionally manipulated, while organised groups used their movement as cover for violence and regime change.” Citing statements made by the leadership of the interim administration, Hasina argued that the movement was systematically orchestrated rather than a spontaneous public uprising.
“Muhammad Yunus himself said this was a meticulously designed movement, led by a mastermindHis own words expose the truthIt was not simply a spontaneous student protestThere was no visible or responsible leadership, instructions were given invisibly; it was organised, directed and used to create a path to power outside ballot box…” she saidHasina highlighted that fear has now penetrated everyday life across the nation, reiterating, “The protests in July-Aug 2024 not peaceful student movement, organised groups worked to turn them to violent political instrument.”
The former prime minister alleged that from July 15, 2024, the demonstrations escalated into widespread killings, arson, attacks on public infrastructure, and targeted violence against law enforcement personnelShe further claimed that following her removal, Awami League leaders and workers faced systematic political persecution, alleging thousands had been killed, disappeared, or arrested, with hundreds of thousands named in criminal casesShe also accused the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus of halting a judicial inquiry set up by her government into the violence.
Detailing the physical and cultural toll, Hasina alleged that symbols associated with Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War were vandalised, members of minority communities and journalists targeted, and the historic Dhanmondi 32 residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman demolished in an attempt to erase the legacy of the Liberation WarJoining the interaction, Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed questioned the United Nations’ casualty figures from the unrest while flagging legal immunities granted to protesters by the current regime.
“First of all, you have heard tagain and again that about the deaths during July on this protest of 2024You have various counts on the numbersYou have the UN number of 1,400, whereas the government number is 800 somethingWho are these additional 600 people? Where did the UN get those names? Our party has written to the UNOur lawyers have written to the UN again and againAnd today the UN has not provided any namesBut more importantly, the UN only covers a period up to August 15 of 2024, but we know that the deaths continue, and what is most alarming, and this is something that I believe that the Press, the international Press, should really pay attention toThe Yunus regime, one of the first things they did was pass an Ordinance which became law, called the Indemnity Bill, indemnifying all the protesters, everyone, blanket immunity, protecting them from any prosecution for any killings, that includes killings of civilians, that includes killings of our party members, and that includes killings of police officers….This is unprecedentedHow can you have blanket legal protection for killings by anyone, especially killing the Police officers? This is unprecedentedThis is completely against all human rights, against all norms of decency,” Wazed said.
Ahead of the address, the Indian government sought to distance itself from the press event, clarifying that New Delhi does not endorse any statements made during the sessionMinistry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “The government has no involvement whatsoever in itNeither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum.” The ministry recently informed a Parliamentary committee that while granting asylum to Hasina, India has strictly maintained its policy ensuring no political activity targeting another sovereign nation is conducted from Indian territory.
However, Dhaka remains unconvinced after raising the matter with Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Trivedi on MondayDiplomatic sources indicated that allowing Hasina to deliver a political speech could further strain fragile bilateral tiesThe quota reform protests that erupted in July 2024 evolved into a nationwide anti-government movement, culminating in Sheikh Hasina leaving Bangladesh on August 5, 2024Following her ouster, an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge and oversaw political reforms before Bangladesh held parliamentary elections in February 2026.
The general elections were won by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman, while the Awami League was barred from contestingHasina has remained in India since her ouster, repeatedly alleging widespread political persecution–allegations consistently rejected by authorities in DhakaSeparately, the Indian government confirmed for the first time that Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been invited to attend the upcoming BRICS summit hosted by India in SeptemberWhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously extended an invitation to Rahman for a bilateral visit, New Delhi specified that the current invitation is for the BRICS outreach session in Rahman’s official capacity as the chair of BIMSTEC.
