Amid stated 'outrage' from Bangladesh, the Indian government on Friday reiterated that it had "no role" to play in deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's recent press conference in New Delhi, nor does it endorse what was said at the event, where Sheikh Hasina spoke virtually.
"I have already stated the government's position on the issue before the press conference happened. You would have seen those remarks. I am reiterating it here," said Spokesperson at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Randhir Jaiswal.
Responding to a question at the MEA's regular briefing in New Delhi, Jaiswal said the Indian government had no role to play in what was an event by a private media entity.
"And the government does not endorse anything said at the Forum, especially with regard to the duly-constituted government of Bangladesh," he said.
The MEA Spokesperson also said they continued to closely follow developments that happen in their neighborhood, keeping their national security interests in mind, and would take whatever measures have to be taken in that regard.
Bangladesh was "outraged" that the absconding “convicted genocider” Sheikh Hasina was allowed on Wednesday evening to engage in live interaction with the media in New Delhi where she and her "henchmen launched venomous vitriol" against Bangladesh and her people, according to a terse statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) here in Dhaka Wednesday night.
In it, MoFA said Dhaka deeply regrets that in spite of concerns conveyed a priori to the Government of India about the likely ramifications of this event on the reset of our bilateral relations, this public event was permitted to be held, the government said in a statement.
On a day when the people of Bangladesh are observing the second anniversary of the July Revolution, this interaction by Sheikh Hasina on the Indian soil stands as an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh and a grievous insult to the martyrs of the July Revolution, the MoFA said.
The denial of facts established by the United Nations, including gruesome killing of the innocent civilians including minor children during July-August 2024 by the fascist regime, stands as a futile attempt by the absconding convicted mass murderer Hasina and her criminal cohort to reverse the tide of history, said the government.
"The people of Bangladesh rejected such heinous attempts in the past and continue to do so now," the statement reads.
"Upholding the spirit of the July Revolution, our people have firmly resolved that our nation will never again go back to the dark days of fascism and that Bangladesh will never be a client State. Convicted mass murderer Hasina and her mafia enterprise will never have a place in the polity of Bangladesh," it said.
Bangladesh said it desires to maintain a constructive, mutually beneficial, and forward-looking relationship with India based on sovereign equality, mutual respect, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, and national dignity.
Regrettably, the Ministry said, Bangladesh’s repeated requests to the Government of India for returning convicted criminal Hasina to Bangladesh under the Extradition Treaty signed between Bangladesh and India in 2013, has not yet elicited a response.
"On the contrary, allowing her the opportunity to openly interact with the media under any pretext is deeply hurtful to our people’s sentiment and detrimental to the development of harmonious bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India," said the Ministry.