US denies involvement in former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s ouster

Washington: The US has described as “laughable” and “false” the accusation that it was behind Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster.

Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5 following widespread protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. An interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, was formed in the country after her ouster.

“That’s laughable. Any implication that the United States was involved in Sheikh Hasina’s resignation is absolutely false,” Vedant Patel, US State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, said on Tuesday when asked about Hasina’s accusation that the United States orchestrated mass protests that led to her ouster after weeks of violence.

“We have seen a lot of disinformation in recent weeks, and we remain incredibly committed to strengthening information integrity across the digital ecosystem, especially with our partners in South Asia,” he said.

The United States on Monday said it would continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh, emphasising that President Joe Biden is “consistent in speaking loud and clear” on human rights issues.