Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, has said that former prime minister Sheikh Hasina making political remarks from India is an “unfriendly gesture”, asserting that she must remain silent to prevent the discomfort to both countries until Dhaka requests her extradition.

“If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh (government) wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet,” he said.

In an interview with PTI at his official residence in Dhaka, Yunus, who was appointed the country’s Chief Advisor after Hasina’s ouster, stressed that while Bangladesh values strong ties with India, New Delhi must move “beyond the narrative that portrays every other political party except Awami League as Islamist and that the country will turn into Afghanistan without Sheikh Hasina.” “No one is comfortable with her stance there in India because we want her back to try her. She is there in India and at times she is talking, which is problematic. Had she been quiet, we would have forgotten it; people would have also forgotten it as she would have been in her own world. But sitting in India, she is speaking and giving instructions. No one likes it,” he said.

Read: Bangladesh Amends Law Scrapping Special Security For Sheikh Hasina, Family

Yunus was apparently referring to Hasina’s statement on August 13 in which she demanded “justice”, saying those involved in recent “terror acts”, killings and vandalism must be investigated, identified and punished.

“It is not good for us or for India. There is discomfort regarding it,” he told PTI.

Following unprecedented anti-government protests that peaked on August 5, Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled to India. Her presence in India for nearly four weeks has fuelled speculation in Bangladesh.

When asked whether Bangladesh has communicated its stance to India, Yunus said it has been conveyed verbally and quite firmly that she should keep quiet.

Read: 5 More Murder Cases Against Sheikh Hasina, Total Count Now 71: Report

“Everyone understands it. We have said quite firmly that she should keep quiet. This is an unfriendly gesture towards us; she has been given shelter there and she is campaigning from there. It is not that she has gone there on a normal course. She has fled following a people’s uprising and public anger,” he said.

Yunus stated that the interim government is committed to ensuring justice for the people of Bangladesh against the atrocities, and justice requires that she be brought back to the country.

“Yes, she has to be brought back or else the people of Bangladesh won’t be at peace. The kind of atrocities she has committed, she has to be tried in front of everyone here,” he emphasised.

Discussing the future of the India-Bangladesh relationship, Yunus expressed a desire for good ties with India but insisted that New Delhi must abandon the narrative that only Hasina’s leadership ensures the country’s stability.

“The way forward is for India to come out of the narrative. The narrative is that everybody is Islamist, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is Islamist, and everyone else is Islamist and will make this country into Afghanistan. And Bangladesh is in safe hands with Sheikh Hasina at the helm only. India is captivated by this narrative. India has to come out of this narrative. Bangladesh, like any other nation, is another neighbour,” he said.

Referring to the recent incidents of alleged attacks on Hindu minorities in the country and India raising concerns about it, Yunus said this is just an excuse.

“The issue of trying to portray the conditions of minorities in such a big way is just an excuse,” he said.

The minority Hindu population has faced vandalism of their businesses and properties, as well as the destruction of Hindu temples, during the student-led violence that erupted following the ouster of Hasina.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, expressed hope that the situation in violence-hit Bangladesh would return to normal soon and stated that 1.4 billion Indians are concerned about the safety of Hindus and minorities in the neighbouring country.

The 84-year-old Nobel laureate emphasised the need for India and Bangladesh to work together to improve their currently strained relationship.

When asked about ways to improve the Indo-Bangla relations, Yunus said both the countries need to work together and it is on a downhill presently.

“We need to work together to improve this relationship, which is now at a low,” he said.

Speaking about the future of bilateral treaties with India, Yunus said there are demands for a relook at certain treaties such as transit and the Adani electricity deal.

“Everybody is saying that it is needed. We will see what is on paper and, second, what is actually happening on the ground. I can’t answer it specifically. If there is any need to review, we will then raise questions about it,” he said.

The BNP has said if voted to power, it will review and re-evaluate the “questionable” Adani electricity deal signed during the Awami League regime, as it is putting “tremendous pressure” on the people of Bangladesh. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

In a new twist in the kidnap and murder case against Kannada actor Darshan, photos allegedly showing the victim Renukaswamy being tortured before his death have surfaced on Thursday. The photos emerged after the Karnataka Police submitted a 3,991-page chargesheet in the murder case on Wednesday.

According to news agency IANS, one of the photos shows Renukaswamy, shirtless and sitting on the ground in front of parked trucks, in tears. Another image shows him unconscious in front of a truck wearing a vest and blue jeans.

IANS sources said the photos were found on the phone of Darshan’s aide Pavan and were collected as evidence by the police department. The Karnataka police have not issued any official statement regarding the leaked photos.

Sources say that Pavan, who is also an accused in the case, took the photos of Renukaswamy after kidnapping, assaulting and keeping him at a shed. Pavan, then, went to a club where Darshan was partying with friends and showed him the photos. After seeing the photos, Darshan went to actor Pavithra Gowda’s home and brought her to the shed where they continued the assault on Renukaswamy, IANS sources said.

In its chargesheet, the Karnataka Police detailed the alleged brutal torture before his death.

“After being assaulted by Darshan and his gang, Renukaswamy’s chest bones were broken. There are a total of 39 injury marks all over his body. There is also a deep cut on the victim’s head,” the chargesheet read.

It also said that Darshan and his aides used an electrical device to deliver electric shocks to Renukaswamy’s private parts to jolt him awake when he passed out from pain after being repeatedly assaulted.

“After committing the murder, Darshan and the other accused used their influence and money to dispose of the body and attempted to destroy evidence. They also tried to frame other individuals to escape charges,” the chargesheet said.

The Kannada actor is among 17 people, including his friend actor Pavithra Gowda, who are in judicial custody in connection with the murder of his fan Renukaswamy.

The 33-year-old fan had allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda, after which he was allegedly beaten to death. His body was found near a stormwater drain in Bengaluru’s Sumanahalli on June 9.