# Sheikh Hasina claims 2024 protests weaponised to topple her 2026-08-16T13:37:19+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday broke her 15-month silence, alleging the July-August 2024 protests were not a student movement but an organised campaign to topple her government. Speaking virtually from Delhi, she said 'organised groups' turned quota reform demands into a violent instrument for regime change. Her voice broke as she recalled the sacrifices of the 1971 Liberation War. Hasina claimed her government tried dialogue but false propaganda escalated into killings, arson, and attacks on symbols of Bangladesh's founding. She accused the interim government under Muhammad Yunus of political persecution of Awami League members. India's Ministry of External Affairs distanced itself, saying it did not endorse any views expressed at the forum. Dhaka has raised concerns over the speech, potentially straining bilateral ties. Hasina said she intends to return to Bangladesh, while Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has been invited to the upcoming BRICS summit. ## Coverage - livemint.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Awami League, Bangladesh, India, Muhammad Yunus, Sheikh Hasina, Tarique Rahman Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/sheikh-hasina-claims-2024-protests-weaponised-to-topple-her/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/sheikh-hasina-claims-2024-protests-weaponised-to-topple-her/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/