US-based expert refutes foreign interference allegations in B'desh protests

Raising concerns about the violence against minorities in Bangladesh, particularly Hindus, Michael Kugelman, Director of the South Asia Institute at The Wilson Center, said that it would be very difficult for the country to make "meaningful progress" until the attacks stop and the law and order situation is addressed.

He also refuted allegations of foreign interference behind the mass uprising that led to Sheikh Hasina's ouster, stating he had not seen any "plausible evidence" to support these claims.

In an interview with ANI, Kugelman said, "A few stories are playing out in Bangladesh that deserve more scrutiny, investigation...the issue of attacks and threats on minorities, particularly the minority Hindu communities. We know the documented cases of members of the Hindu society being attacked...On Friday there was a large protest in Dhaka in which people were calling for more protection of the Hindu community."

The US-based foreign policy expert also highlighted the issue of misinformation regarding the situation in Bangladesh, emphasising that media outlets should address this aspect. "But there has been a lot of misinformation as well. Many of these reports are actually not true. The problem with misinformation is it can distract from the fact that bad things are happening...so I really hope that the Bangladesh media and other foreign media on the ground will continue to look into this," Kugelman added.

"I underscore something that I said earlier, I think it would be very difficult for Bangladesh to make meaningful progress and peaceful political transition, so long as attacks on the law and order situation, which includes attacks, threats on religious minorities, particularly Hindus, are not addressed," he said.

Kugelman dismissed allegations from Sheikh Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, who claimed foreign interference behind the protests, saying that the unrest was driven by "internal factors." He noted that the Hasina government's harsh crackdown on protesters escalated the movement.

"My view has been very simple. I see this as a crisis that was driven by purely internal factors, by students who were unhappy about a particular issue, job quotas that they didn't like and they were worried about the government. Sheikh Hasina's government cracked down very hard on the students and that then turned the movement into something much bigger. And this was simply driven by internal factors," Kugelman said.

"Now, you know, when there is a conspiracy theory that is rooted in issues of foreign influence, one cannot disprove such type of allegation. Also, at the same time, one cannot conclusively prove it. I think the onus, is the responsibility to provide a plausible explanation for how it can be true. I am yet to hear that from Sheikh Hasina's son, from anyone," he added.

He said that the political instability in Bangladesh is a "troubling situation," adding that it is going to be a very difficult task to bring into effect a "peaceful political transition."

Kugelman noted, "Well, it certainly is a very troubling situation. Whenever I'm asked what I think the top priority of the interim government should be, I say and continue to believe that it's restoring law and order. It's clear that there's significant amounts of instability right now, and I think it's still unclear what the scale of that violence is. But I think that it's going to be very difficult to make meaningful efforts to affect a peaceful political transition until the violence and the unrest subsides. And I think that there needs to be a lot more work, a lot more investigation as to exactly what is going on, particularly in terms of the scale, but I and so many others are of course very concerned about this current level of violence and unrest."

"With the police not having a major presence on the ground and with the army seemingly reluctant to play that role of trying to impose law and order, there's a vacuum, there's a security vacuum that I think that violent actors will and have taken advantage of, and this is certainly very concerning," he added.

Bangladesh is experiencing a fluid political situation, with Sheikh Hasina resigning from the post of Prime Minister on August 5 amid mounting protests. The protests, led mainly by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, evolved into anti-government demonstrations.

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi wrote to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, urging him to assist the Bangladeshi government in ending the violence against Hindus.

Krishnamoorthi requested Blinken to engage with Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh's interim government on August 8, and bring violence to an end and perpetrators to justice.

In a letter to Blinken, Krishnamoorthi said, "I am writing to you regarding the fluid situation in Bangladesh and the rise of coordinated anti-Hindu violence in the wake of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation. Now that Muhammad Yunus is sworn in as Prime Minister for the interim government, it is of utmost urgency that the United States engage with his government for the purposes of both bringing the violence to an end and the perpetrators to justice."

Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as the head of Bangladesh's interim government on August 8, three days after Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country amid widespread unrest. Seventeen members of Bangladesh's interim government took their oaths at a ceremony in Dhaka on Thursday. Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus, 84, was sworn in as the country's chief advisor, equivalent to a Prime Minister, by President Mohammed Shahabuddin.