“December is our victory month. I will return in December,” Hasina said during the virtual interaction.
Addressing the event, Hasina said she had remained emotionally connected with the people of Bangladesh despite being away from the country.
“I was away from my country, but I was never separated from my people. For the last two years I watched my beloved Bangladesh suffer. Fear has entered homes, workplaces and campuses,” she said.
Referring to the July-August 2024 unrest, Hasina said the protests were not a peaceful student movement.
“Truth about July-Aug 2024. It was not a peaceful student movement. From the beginning we tried to resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue, legal process and patience. Behind the language of reform, organised groups were working to turn student demands into a violent political movement,” she said.
Hasina also said she remained committed to returning to Bangladesh despite the personal risks involved.
“Whatever fate awaits me, I will return to my people. I may be detained, I may be sent to prison. Fear cannot decide my duty to the people,” she said.
When asked about the specific date of her return, Hasina did not provide one and instead reiterated that she was prepared to face imprisonment or even death upon her return.
The remarks came a day after India distanced itself from Hasina’s planned virtual media interaction, stressing that it had no role in organising the event or endorsing any views expressed during it.
On Tuesday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the interaction was being organised by a private media entity.
“The interaction you refer to is being organised by a private media entity. The government has no involvement whatsoever in it, neither does it endorse any views that may be expressed at the forum,” Jaiswal said while responding to a question during his weekly media briefing.
Hasina’s interaction marked her first engagement with the media since she fled Bangladesh following the collapse of her government amid a massive anti-government protest in 2024.
Dhaka had earlier sought clarification from New Delhi over the planned event, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s foreign affairs adviser Humaiun Kobir saying a public interaction by Hasina from Indian soil could undermine the positive momentum in bilateral ties.
Last November, Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia by a special tribunal in Dhaka for alleged crimes against humanity linked to her government’s crackdown on student-led protests in 2024. Since the verdict, Bangladesh has been urging India to extradite her.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have remained strained since the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus assumed office following the fall of the Hasina government.
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