New Delhi [India], December 22 (ANI): Former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri on Monday backed former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, asserting that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus is fostering anti-India sentiment. Sikri, who previously served as Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, responded to Hasina’s remarks in a recent ANI interview regarding the current developments in Bangladesh.
Sikri highlighted Yunus’s association with Osman Hadi, a controversial political figure known for anti-Indian rhetoric and claims over parts of Northeast India. “The kind of speech he (Muhammad Yunus) gave and naming a hall after Osman Hadi, who was just an election candidate, shows Yunus’s political alignment. Sheikh Hasina is fully right in saying that it is Muhammad Yunus who is perpetrating this anti-Indianism,” Sikri told ANI.
The former envoy criticised the interim regime for attempting to blame India for the killing of Osman Hadi and for orchestrating demonstrations against Indian diplomatic missions in Dhaka. She noted that police investigations found no evidence that the suspected killer had fled to India, and the individual had been seen sharing a political platform with Hadi in recent days. “The interim regime of Muhammad Yunus owes an apology to the Indian government. You can’t make accusations like that,” Sikri said.
Sheikh Hasina has also voiced concerns over lawlessness, the empowerment of extremist elements, and growing hostility toward India under Yunus, warning that these developments threaten both domestic stability and regional security. She described incidents targeting Indian and local institutions as deliberate, saying the Yunus government has granted immunity to perpetrators. “These are the same actors who marched on the Indian embassy and attacked our media offices, who attack minorities with impunity,” Hasina stated.
On the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) verdict against her, Hasina dismissed it as politically motivated. “This verdict has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with political elimination,” she added.
The ongoing unrest in Bangladesh and Hasina’s critique underscore heightened concerns over governance, extremism, and the safety of Indian diplomatic personnel in the country.
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