Hasina mounts stinging attack on Muhammad Yunus for current situation in Bangladesh

Ousted PM Sheikh Hasina accuses interim leader of genocide, attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, sparking tensions with India.

In her first public address after fleeing Bangladesh four months back, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has mounted a stinging attack on the country's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, accusing him of perpetrating "genocide" and failing to protect minorities including Hindus.

In the remarks delivered virtually to her supporters at an event in New York, Ms. Hasina, presently living in India, also claimed that there were plans to kill her and her sister Sheikh Rehana just like their father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated in 1975.

Describing Mr. Yunus as "power-hungry", Ms. Hasina alleged that the places of worship in Bangladesh are under attack and the current dispensation has totally failed to deal with the situation.

Ms. Hasina was speaking to supporters of her Awami League party at the event organised on Sunday to mark "Bijoy Dibos" or Victory Day that falls on December 16.

Though Ms. Hasina made several statements in the last few months, it was her first public address after taking shelter, said an expert closely tracking developments in Bangladesh.

"The armed protestors were directed towards Ganabhaban (official residence of the Prime Minister). If the security guards opened fire, many lives would have been lost. It was a matter of 25-30 minutes, and I was forced to leave. I told them not to fire no matter what happened," she said, speaking in Bengali.

"Today, I am being accused of genocide. In reality, Yunus has been involved in genocide in a meticulously designed manner. The masterminds, the student coordinators and Yunus, are behind this genocide," she said.