Hasina’s Son Claims India Prevented Assassination Attempt, Slams Bangladesh’s Interim Government After Death Verdict

Sajeeb Wazed, son of Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has alleged that India played a crucial role in preventing an assassination attempt on his mother during last year’s political turmoil. In an interview with news agency ANI from Virginia, USA, Wazed sharply criticised the interim administration in Dhaka and denounced the judicial process that culminated in a death sentence for the former premier.

“India has always been a good friend. During the crisis, India essentially saved my mother’s life. If she hadn’t left Bangladesh, militants had planned to kill her,” he said, expressing “eternal gratitude” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Hasina fled to India in August 2024 at the peak of mass protests that engulfed the country.

His remarks follow the International Crimes Tribunal’s decision to sentence Hasina, 78, to death in absentia for allegedly ordering a violent crackdown on student demonstrators last year. The unprecedented verdict has polarised public opinion in Bangladesh and strained diplomatic ties with New Delhi, especially after Dhaka formally requested Hasina’s extradition.

Wazed rejected the tribunal’s ruling as politically engineered, accusing the interim government—led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus—of systematically undermining constitutional norms. “For an extradition to happen, due process must be followed. But Bangladesh currently has an unelected, unconstitutional and illegal government,” he said. “To convict my mother, they illegally amended laws to fast-track her trial.”

According to Wazed, Hasina was denied basic legal rights, including the ability to appoint her defence team. “Her lawyers weren’t even allowed into the courtroom,” he said. He further claimed that the tribunal’s bench was restructured to ensure a predetermined outcome. “Seventeen judges were terminated before the trial, and new, politically connected judges with little to no experience were appointed. There was no due process whatsoever.”

Hasina, who has labelled the tribunal “rigged” and “politically motivated,” fled Bangladesh during the unprecedented unrest that paralysed the nation from mid-July to early August 2024. A subsequent UN assessment estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed—mostly by security forces—making it the deadliest political crisis since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.

The interim administration has defended the tribunal’s actions as transparent and lawful, claiming the judgment reflects the seriousness of the charges against the former prime minister.

The verdict comes ahead of national elections scheduled for February, with the Awami League barred from contesting—a move Wazed warned could spark renewed violence. Security has been heightened across Bangladesh, with crude bomb attacks and arson incidents reported in recent days. Heavy deployments now surround key government installations and judicial complexes as tensions continue to rise.