For the First Time, Hasina Casts Doubt on US Role in Fuelling Bangladesh Protests

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has raised questions over the possible role of the US in fuelling the student protests in the country, the first time she has made a direct reference to Washington amid the ongoing unrest in the country.

"Another thing to note is that the body has not been found yet. But the statement of the State Department (of the United States) came, the body had fallen. Who gave them news of the body? Then who gave the order to dump the body, it is also necessary to know. But then the body started falling," Hasina was quoted as saying by local news outlet RTV at a meeting with country’s top editors and journalists at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Wednesday.

Hasina told the senior media representatives that she had anticipated such a situation, apparently a reference to growing Western pressure over Bangladesh's security forces action against some of the violent protestors. She has blamed opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) alliance for instigating the peaceful student protestors, leading to violent clashes, which have reportedly left at least 180 people dead.

"I knew that elections would not be allowed... It will not be acceptable after the election, we have been able to do that, we have been able to form the government. I had a feeling this kind of injury would come again," Hasina was quoted as saying, a reference to reservations expressed by the US and its allies over the last federal vote in Bangladesh in January, which was boycotted by the opposition parties.

Earlier, the US State Department has condemned the violence on both sides during the ongoing protests, and has urged the Hasina government to restore internet connectivity, which has remained suspended in large parts of the country since last Thursday. Last week, the Army was called in to patrol the streets and a nationwide curfew imposed to stem violence. The student demonstrators have suspended the protest until Thursday evening.

Biden administration could invoke sanctions against the Hasina government over what he labelled as "gross violation of human rights" by authorities, Donald Lu, the Assistant Secretary of Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the US State Department, told on Tuesday during a budget hearing.

In this regard, Sadrul Ahmed Khan, Squadron Leader (Retired), a Member of Finance and Planning Affairs Sub-Committee at Awami League, told Sputnik India that Biden administration might be considering the possibility of a regime change in Bangladesh.

He pointed out that the US Embassy in Dhaka was the only foreign mission to have remained closed on 18 July; the same day significant violence erupted in the capital city. The announcement was made by the US Embassy on 17 July itself, even though on the day Hasina had given a televised speech, in which she had assured support for the genuine student protestors.

Further, Khan noted that the US Embassy's Facebook page posted a condolence message for the deceased student protestors much before the "unrest" started on the afternoon of 18 July.

"That added fuel to fire and apparently instigate violence among the students. These are very suspicious activities on part of the US Embassy. Maybe, they were planning an Arab Spring or an Arab Winter in Bangladesh. We are not sure about it, but considering all the scenarios," Khan concluded.

Sputnik Opinion

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23 July, 17:35

In a First, Bangladeshi PM Speaks on US Role in Fueling Student Protests