Dhaka: Sheikh Hasina, the former prime minister of Bangladesh, has claimed that as soon as she was removed from office, there was a plot to assassinate her and her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana.

In an audio address that was uploaded late Friday to her Bangladesh Awami League party’s Facebook page, Sheikh Hasina said, “Rehana and I survived—just 20-25 minutes apart we escaped death.”

Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister of Bangladesh, was overthrown by a student-led movement in August of last year after weeks of demonstrations and fighting that claimed over 600 lives. A provisional administration headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was established when Hasina, 76, fled to India.
At different points in time, Sheikh Hasina said, there were plots to have her killed.

“I just feel that surviving the killings on August 21, or surviving the huge bomb in Kotalipara, surviving on this time August 5, 2024, there must be a will of Allah, a hand of Allah,” she said.

“Otherwise, I’m not going to survive this time!” she said. Hasina said, “You later saw how they planned to kill me.”

“However, it seems to be a mercy of Allah that I am still alive because Allah wants me to do something more,” she said.

Her voice was sorrowful as she continued, “Even though I am suffering, I am without my country, without my home; everything has been burned.”

Since Sheikh Hasina evaded many murder plots, her security was very strong. The 2004 Dhaka grenade assault happened on August 21, 2004, at an Awami League anti-terrorism demonstration on Bangabandhu Avenue. There were about 500 injuries and 24 fatalities from the incident. After Sheikh Hasina, the opposition leader at the time, had concluded speaking to a gathering of 20,000 people from the back of a truck, the assault was carried out at 5:22 p.m. The incident also caused Hasina to receive minor injuries.

In her audio message, Sheikh Hasina also mentioned the Kotalipara bomb as part of another conspiracy to murder her. The 40-kilogram bomb was found at Sheikh Lutfor Rahman Ideal College in Kotalipara two days after the 76 kg bomb was found on July 21, 2000. On July 22, 2000, Sheikh Hasina, the then-opposition leader and president of the Awami League, was scheduled to speak at the rally.