The current caretaker government of Bangladesh continues hunting for ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina so that she can be brought back to Dhaka for pursuing hundreds of legal cases, lodged in different locations of the south Asian nation (with an aim to deliver justice to the victims). The interim regime in Dhaka also maintains an inherent agenda to embarrass India for giving shelter to the Awami League chief, who ruled Bangladesh for more than two decades. Giving asylum to septuagenarian Hasina after she had to leave Ganabhawan following an unprecedented student-led uprising in July-August 2024, the Union government in New Delhi continued supporting the daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, without making any formal declaration. Lately the Bangla government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, approached the International Criminal Police Organization (popularly known as INTERPOL) with an appeal to issue a Red Notice against Hasina along with some of her associates against their involvement in the mass killings during the monsoon uprising. Sending a formal request to France’s Lyon-based inter-governmental body, the national central bureau of Bangladesh Police, claimed that all those accused are now absconding for many months in foreign lands. Usually issued for fugitives wanted for serious crimes such as murder, rape and fraud, the Red Notices reflect international requests to law enforcement agencies across the world. Even though these cannot be termed as international arrest warrants, the initiative is taken seriously to locate concerned person(s) to proceed with legal formalities.
Recently, Prof Yunus while meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangkok on the sidelines of 6th BIMSTEC summit, reiterated the demand for Hasina’s repatriation. New Delhi still remains non-committal to it and subsequently urged the Yunus administration to ensure safety and security to religious minorities in the Muslim majority nation. Popular Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin, who was forced to leave her country of birth, echoed the same version. In a recent media interview, Taslima also expressed her empathy towards Hasina, even though her passport was not renewed by the then premier Bangabandhu Kanya. Destiny has forced both the ladies to take shelter in India and Taslima keeps ready a question to Hasina (if they meet by chance somewhere in Delhi), “How does it feel to lose one’s home country!” Awami League’s archrival Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) always termed Hasina as an agent of New Delhi and recently a BNP leader commented that she would have integrated the country with India if it was possible.
Meanwhile, the recent abduction and subsequent killing of Bhabesh Chandra Roy (58) ignited another row of outrages as New Delhi termed it a systematic murder of minorities in Bangladesh. Officially reacting to the unfortunate incident, where the office bearer of Biral Upazila Puja Udjapan Parishad was severely assaulted in Dinajpur locality, New Delhi termed it another example of atrocities on Hindus there. Roy was reportedly kidnapped from his residence in Basudebpur village on 17 April and beaten to death by four individuals. They came on two bikes after confirming his presence at home and took Roy away towards Narabari village in the afternoon hours. According to wife Shantana Roy, the perpetrators first called him by phone to ensure his presence at home and after a few minutes they arrived to bring him with them. When Roy returned back by a vehicle, he was almost unconscious, and family members took him to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead.
