After Bangladesh's outrage, India reiterates: no role in Hasina's press conference

A day after the Bangladesh government said it was “outraged” by the press conference held by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Delhi on Wednesday, officials in New Delhi maintained that India’s policy remains unchanged. They reiterated that the Indian government had no involvement in the event.

During the press conference, Ms. Hasina alleged that the interim government led by Prof. Mohammed Yunus had sought to “erase the Liberation War” and the memory of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She also targeted the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party government led by Tarique Rahman, saying it had taken power after a “staged election”.

Responding to a question about whether Ms. Hasina regrets the deaths and destruction during the final weeks of her tenure in July and August 2024, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy pointed to the indemnity law passed by the interim administration that granted immunity to all anti-Hasina protesters. “The day the killers of police officials are arrested, the Awami League will apologise,” he said.

At the same time as Ms. Hasina’s press event was being held at the Foreign Correspondents Club, the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi organised a separate event in memory of students who died in the mass uprising in July 2024. In Bangladesh, firebombs were hurled and windows smashed at the residence of former Bangladesh cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan after he spoke via video link at Ms. Hasina’s press conference.

Following the event, the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement describing Ms. Hasina’s accusations as “an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh and a grievous insult to the martyrs of the July Revolution.” It added: “Dhaka deeply regrets that despite the concerns conveyed a priori to the Government of India about the likely ramifications of this event on the reset of our bilateral relations, this public event was permitted to be held.”

Bangladesh Interior Minister Salahuddin Ahmed also questioned India’s role, asking, “Why India gave opportunity to Hasina to hold the press conference is all that I want to ask.”

On Tuesday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had described Ms. Hasina’s event as an initiative by a “private media entity” and explained that the Indian government had no involvement. Sources maintained the same position after the event, indicating that India considers Bangladesh’s domestic politics as an arena where there should be no interference from the Indian side. They opined that the exchanges between the Awami League, its leader Sheikh Hasina, and the Bangladesh government are for them to resolve.

The controversy has cast a spotlight on the wider bilateral relationship, including India’s invitation to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to visit New Delhi for the BRICS summit. Bangladesh has not yet confirmed Mr. Rahman’s attendance.