In fresh trouble for Sheikh Hasina, a commission set up to investigate a violent Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny that saw dozens of senior army officers massacred 16 years ago claimed that the ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister personally ordered the mutiny,
According to news agency AFP, the panel alleged India’s involvement in weakening the Bangladesh Army.
The findings, released on Sunday, add fresh pressure on the 78-year-old leader, who is already facing a death sentence in absentia for "crimes against humanity" linked to her government's crackdown on last year's protests.
The commission, formed by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration after Hasina's ouster last year, was tasked with re-examining the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) revolt that erupted in Dhaka and spread nationwide. The two-day mutiny in 2009 left 74 people dead, including top military officers, only weeks after Hasina returned to power.
Commission chief ALM Fazlur Rahman alleged the then-Awami League government was directly involved in the revolt. He named former MP Fazle Noor Taposh as the "principal coordinator" and claimed Taposh acted "at the behest" of Hasina, who provided the "green signal" to carry out the killings.
Rahman's summary of the report, released by the government's press office, also alleged the involvement of an unnamed foreign power. "The involvement of a foreign force was strongly evident in the investigation," it said.
"The conspiracy aimed to weaken this force and destabilise Bangladesh. At that time, India sought to create instability while the then government sought to extend its rule," Rahman said as quoted by local media.
"After the BDR carnage took place, the government wanted to prolong its power, and the neighbouring country (India) wanted to destabilise Bangladesh," he said in a press conference.
When pressed to identify the neighbouring country he was referring to, Rahman said it was India, where Hasina and several party leaders had taken refuge.
"Around 921 Indians came to the country during that time. The whereabouts of 67 of those Indians are unknown," Rahman said, pointing to what he described as evidence of Indian involvement in the incident.
India has not issued a response to the allegation. Ties between Dhaka and New Delhi have already been strained since Hasina fled to India following massive anti-government protests in July-August 2024.
Meanwhile, Yunus welcomed the commission's findings. "Through the commission report, the truth has finally been revealed," he said.
A previous investigation, conducted under Hasina's government, had blamed soldiers' long-standing resentment over pay and treatment. Her political rivals, however, long insisted she used the mutiny to tighten control over the military.
Alongside the mutiny accusations, Bangladesh on Sunday renewed its expectation that India extradite Hasina "at the earliest". Foreign Affairs Advisor Mohammad Touhid Hossain told diplomatic reporters in Dhaka that the issue should not define relations with New Delhi but said repatriation remained a priority.
"I think our bilateral relations won't be stuck on one issue alone," he said. Still, he added that since Hasina is now a declared convict, Bangladesh "expects her repatriation from India at the earliest possible time".
Hasina was sentenced to death in absentia on November 17 for "crimes against humanity" over her government's crackdown on student-led protests last year. The July Uprising forced her Awami League regime from power on August 5, 2024, after which she sought refuge in India. A Bangladeshi court later labelled her a fugitive.
