Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has blamed the US for the coup in Bangladesh. India had also asked the US a year ago to treat Sheikh Hasina with leniency. According to the Washington Post report, India was already aware of the political situation in Bangladesh. The US diplomat had strongly criticized Sheikh Hasina. He said that Sheikh Hasina put thousands of her opponents in jail before the general elections.
The US administration had imposed sanctions on the Bangladeshi police unit. The US said that the police had arrested people above the line of justice and was responsible for many deaths. Apart from this, the US had also threatened to cancel the visas of Bangladeshis. During a high-level meeting, Indian officials had told the US not to be so strict against Bangladesh.
Officials had said that if the opposition parties of Bangladesh become strong, then Bangladesh will become a stronghold of fundamentalists and this will also pose a challenge for India. According to the Washington Post, the Indian official said, “You can consider it only an issue of democracy but for India this matter is very important and challenging.” He said that Indian officials had a long talk with the US and said that the issues need to be considered until a strategic consensus is reached.
After India’s request, the Biden administration showed leniency towards Bangladesh and did not impose other sanctions. Before the general elections held in Bangladesh in January, open tension with the US was visible. The US ambassador to Bangladesh also criticized the Sheikh Hasina government. Let us tell you that at present Sheikh Hasina is in India and an interim government has been formed in Bangladesh under the leadership of Mohammad Yunus.