'Living freely in India', Sheikh Hasina says she won’t return to Bangladesh under illegitimate rule
New Delhi: Ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been freely living in exile in New Delhi since fleeing her country in August 2024 amid student-led protests over government job quotas, has reportedly said she will not return to Bangladesh under any government formed after elections that exclude her party, the Awami League.
In her first media appearance since going into exile, Hasina described her life in India as “free but cautious,” referencing the assassination of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding leader, and three brothers during a 1975 military coup while she and her sister were abroad.
“I would of course love to go home, so long as the government there was legitimate, the constitution was being upheld, and law and order genuinely prevailed,” news agency Reuters quoted Hasina as saying.
The 78-year-old Awami League chief fled Bangladesh after a 15-year rule ended amid violent protests, and an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has been in power since her ouster. The interim administration has pledged to hold national elections next February.
The Election Commission suspended the Awami League’s registration in May, and the Yunus-led government subsequently banned all party activities, citing national security concerns and ongoing investigations into senior Awami League leaders for alleged war crimes, added the report.
“The ban on the Awami League is not only unjust, it is self-defeating. The next government must have electoral legitimacy. Millions of people support the Awami League, so as things stand, they will not vote. You cannot disenfranchise millions of people if you want a political system that works,” Reuters quoted Hasina as saying.
Hasina further said that her party still hopes common sense will prevail and that they will be allowed to contest the election themselves.
Hasina, who is facing charges of crimes against humanity related to the crackdown on protesters during the 2024 agitation, dismissed the ongoing trial against her as a “politically motivated charade.
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Annpurna Devi expresses anguish over girl's rape in TN, urges NCW to act
New Delhi (PTI): Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annpurna Devi on Tuesday expressed her anguish over the alleged gang rape of a girl in Tamil Nadu and urged the National Commission for Women to take immediate cognisance of the matter.
In a post on X, Devi said, "Deeply anguished by this horrific incident. I urge the NCW to take immediate cognisance and act swiftly in coordination with the concerned authorities to ensure the strictest action against all culprits."
Devi said, "Justice must be swift and unsparing — the accused must be brought to book without delay," adding, "the safety, dignity, and justice of every daughter of India remain our highest priority."
"We stand firmly with the survivor and her family in this difficult hour," she said.
Reacting to a post by former Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, who flagged concerns over the law and order situation in the state, Devi said such incidents "expose grave concerns" under the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government.
Annamalai, in his post, alleged that a 15-year-old girl from Kanchipuram, who had come to participate in a temple festival near Seyyaru in Tiruvannamalai district, was gangraped.
He said the incident was "deeply shocking and enraging" to him and alleged that such crimes point to a "complete failure" of law and order in Tamil Nadu.
Annamalai demanded immediate arrest of all those involved and the "harshest punishments" for the accused.
He also called for full protection and mental health counselling for the survivor and her family.
