NEW DELHI: Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen expressed her views on Sunday regarding the student movement that led to the removal of Sheikh Hasina’s government, stating it had “fooled us.” She drew a comparison between the protests in Bangladesh and recent student demonstrations in Delhi.
Speaking to reporters in Kolkata during her first visit since 2007, the celebrated writer admitted that she had not closely monitored the protests in Delhi. However, she noted that a brief video clip from the agitation “reminded me of the July 2024 students’ movement in Bangladesh.”
According to Nasreen, “That student movement in Bangladesh fooled us. We believed the students aimed to abolish the quota system. Sheikh Hasina had agreed to their requests, but ultimately, the government collapsed. We later discovered that jihadists were behind that movement. The repercussions for Bangladesh have been severe, with jihadis seizing control there.”
Having fled Bangladesh in 1994 due to threats from Islamic extremists regarding her writings, the 63-year-old author emphasized that the events in her homeland have further intensified her worries about the aftermath of such movements.
She stressed that the 2024 protests in Bangladesh should serve as a cautionary tale. Her comments coincided with the upcoming second anniversary of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation on August 5. The former prime minister currently resides in exile in New Delhi.
The Delhi protests were primarily aimed at demanding the resignation of the then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan due to the NEET (UG) paper leak controversy, while also advocating for comprehensive examination reforms. After more than five weeks of persistent sit-ins led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Pradhan stepped down on July 25, effectively concluding the agitation.
