Key Points:
In an interview to NDTV, Sheikh Hasina said the allegations against the Awami League over the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi were false and baseless, and blamed the deteriorating law and order situation under the Md Yunus-led interim government for such violent incidents.
She stated that Hadi’s assassination was a direct result of lawlessness and electoral violence, and was later used by extremist and radical groups for political vendetta. She also said these groups attacked minorities and the democratic establishment of Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina rejected claims linking Hadi’s death to India, calling them deliberate and baseless to divert attention from misadministration. India also denied involvement, called for a probe, and urged steps to improve law and order and protect minorities.
The former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (founding father of Bangladesh), Sheikh Hasina has spoken about the current political and social situation in Bangladesh. After the ousting of Sheikh Hasina’s government in July-August 2024 protests, she seeked refuge in India, and has been living here since. Speaking to NDTV in an interview, she addressed the allegations revolving around Awami Leagues’s alleged involvement in the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, a political leader of Bangladesh’s Inquilab Moncho.
Hasina labelled the accusations as false and baseless, highlighting that it was the deteriorating law and order situation in Bangladesh, under the Md Yunus led interim government, that led to such heinous activities. Sheikh Hasina emphasised on the disruptive chaos occurring in the country, where an Anti-India narrative was being propagated by several radical leaders, and that the interim government was not able to contain the deteriorating law and order situation in the country. She also added that Hadi’s assasination was used as an excuse by extremists groups and radical organisations in Bangladesh, to pursue their political vendetta, and not only attack minorities but also the democratic establishment of the nation.
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Speaking further, she also addressed that Hadi’s death being linked to India was entirely false, deliberate and baseless. She said that this was done to deliberately remove the attention of the citizens from the misadministration and misgovernance, and that to project it as foreign powers interfering in Bangladesh’s internal matters, which was completely false.
Sharif Osman Hadi was shot on head on December 18, 2025, while he died undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital on December 18, 2025. Supporters of the Inquilab Moncho linked his death to India. Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal denied such claims, saying that India advocates for peace and calm in Bangladesh, and calls for a friendly relation. He also stated that a probe should be conducted to investigate the killing of Hadi, and also called for stringent measures to be taken to improve the law and order situation in the country, thus protecting minorities and ensuring a harmonious society.
Earlier, on December 28, 2026, Dhaka Police Officials claimed in a press conference that the suspects linked to Hadi’s killings, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, fled from Bangladesh and crossed into the Indian state of Meghalaya. The Meghalaya Security Forces denied these claims, stating that there was neither any evidence of any cross border movement of the suspects, nor any input or intelligence to corroborate the claims of Bangladesh police authorities. In a press conference on December 28, 2026, General OP Upadhyay, Inspector General of the BSF (Border Security Force), stated that the BSF didn’t detect any movement or receive a report of such an incident.
Addressing further issues of atrocities against minorities such as the killing of Dipu Chandra Das, and India Bangladesh relations, Sheikh Hasina in the interview mentioned that Das’s killing was not an isolated incident, but part of a broader pattern of communal violence left unchecked. She said that India was the closest ally of Bangladesh, and the two countries have previously worked together to produce positive diplomatic and economic results, also ensuring the stability of the region.
Sheikh Hasina criticised the Md Yunus led interim government for not ensuring the safety of minorities, and letting radical elements spread and grow freely, which would not only harm the internal issues of the nation, but also isolate Bangladesh from the sub continent, and result in deteriorating economy. Further speaking, she said that the eradication of security not only threatened the minorities, but destabilized the secular and democratic foundations on which Bangladesh was built.
(GP)
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