'2024 uprising was a planned regime change; will return to Bangladesh': Hasina's first public address since ouster
Hasina also reiterated that she intended to return to Bangladesh, but said the dates had not yet been finalised
- Aug 5, 2026,
- Updated Aug 5, 2026 7:42 PM IST
Two years after being forced from power and fleeing to India, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made her first public appearance on Wednesday. Speaking through a virtual address from New Delhi, she said she would return to Bangladesh, though she did not specify when.
Hasina was ousted from office on August 5, 2024, and fled Dhaka after a mass uprising brought down her government.
'NOT A STUDENT PROTEST'
Hasina rejected the widely accepted description of the July-August 2024 movement as a student-led protest. She alleged it was a carefully planned operation to remove her government and install a new regime outside the democratic process.
"Muhammad Yunus himself said this was a meticulously designed movement, led by a mastermind. His own words expose the truth. It was not simply a spontaneous student protest. There was no visible or responsible leadership; instructions were given invisibly; it was organised, directed and used to create a path to power outside the ballot box," she said.
She further claimed that the movement had been planned from the beginning.
'BANGLADESH HAS SUFFERED'
Hasina said she had watched events in Bangladesh with deep concern over the past two years.
"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."
She said her government had tried to handle the protests through dialogue and legal means. "Let me begin with the truth about July and August 2024. It was not a peaceful student movement. From the beginning, my government tried to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue, legal process, and patience. But behind the language of reform, organised groups were working to turn students' demands into a violent political instrument."
Hasina began her speech by paying tribute to Bangladesh's founding leader and her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as well as the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War. She described the country's current situation as deeply worrying before turning to the events that led to her removal from office.
The address came despite objections from Bangladesh's government.
India had clarified that the programme was organised by a private entity and had no involvement from the Indian government.
Hasina also reiterated that she intended to return to Bangladesh, but said the dates had not yet been finalised.
Two years after being forced from power and fleeing to India, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made her first public appearance on Wednesday. Speaking through a virtual address from New Delhi, she said she would return to Bangladesh, though she did not specify when.
Hasina was ousted from office on August 5, 2024, and fled Dhaka after a mass uprising brought down her government.
'NOT A STUDENT PROTEST'
Hasina rejected the widely accepted description of the July-August 2024 movement as a student-led protest. She alleged it was a carefully planned operation to remove her government and install a new regime outside the democratic process.
"Muhammad Yunus himself said this was a meticulously designed movement, led by a mastermind. His own words expose the truth. It was not simply a spontaneous student protest. There was no visible or responsible leadership; instructions were given invisibly; it was organised, directed and used to create a path to power outside the ballot box," she said.
She further claimed that the movement had been planned from the beginning.
'BANGLADESH HAS SUFFERED'
Hasina said she had watched events in Bangladesh with deep concern over the past two years.
"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."
She said her government had tried to handle the protests through dialogue and legal means. "Let me begin with the truth about July and August 2024. It was not a peaceful student movement. From the beginning, my government tried to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue, legal process, and patience. But behind the language of reform, organised groups were working to turn students' demands into a violent political instrument."
Hasina began her speech by paying tribute to Bangladesh's founding leader and her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as well as the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War. She described the country's current situation as deeply worrying before turning to the events that led to her removal from office.
The address came despite objections from Bangladesh's government.
India had clarified that the programme was organised by a private entity and had no involvement from the Indian government.
Hasina also reiterated that she intended to return to Bangladesh, but said the dates had not yet been finalised.