Every few days, the Bangladeshi media makes new headlines about Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and her family members. A new case, another sensational allegation, or a new briefing by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
In these briefings, Sheikh Hasina, her children Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Saima Wazed Putul, and even her sister Sheikh Rehana and her three children, including Tulip Siddiq, are targeted. These cases are not for justice but are more like a planned political drama.
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The pattern is clear. One day, the ACC announces that it is taking steps to bring Hasina back from India. Another day, the court quickly issued an arrest warrant. Sometimes it is testimony in a plot distribution case, and sometimes it is spreading new corruption allegations in the media. Sajeeb Wazed Joy is taking a stand on behalf of the family on Facebook and challenging the ACC to present evidence. Everything seems more like a staged drama than a legal process, the purpose of which is to maximise political influence.
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The picture that emerges is this: an anti-corruption agency is being used as a political weapon. An attempt is being made to control public opinion by fabricating case after case. These cases are not separate legal processes; rather, they are part of a larger conspiracy to destroy Sheikh Hasinaโs legacy and invalidate her family in the eyes of the public.
The drama of arrest and extradition
The interim government and the ACC have turned Sheikh Hasinaโs legal battle into a public drama. Every move is shaped into a political thriller. Leaks of secret โexclusive information,โ government statements, dramatic court decisions โ everything seems to be designed to destroy Hasinaโs image.
The main focus of the drama is the demand for Hasinaโs extradition from India. The media is spreading headlines such as โarrest warrant,โ โtrial in absentiaโ etc. that she is guilty before the evidence is presented. However, in reality, extradition requires a solid legal basis, evidence of serious crimes and cooperation from states, which has not yet been clearly demonstrated.
Red notice game
Apart from the court and media drama, the ACC has launched the so-called โred noticeโ game. An initiative has been taken to issue an Interpol notice against Sheikh Hasina, her son Joy and daughter Putul by sending a letter to the police headquarters. This will mark them as โfugitives of the stateโ on the international stage.
This effort is actually more symbolic than legal. Because an Interpol notice is not an arrest warrant. It requires solid evidence. These politically motivated notices are very unlikely to respond to the allegations of countries like India or the UK. As a result, this effort is basically a tactic of intimidation and political pressure.
Court drama and media spin
In Bangladesh, the cases against Sheikh Hasina, Joy and Putul have now become more of a spectacle than justice. The Purbachal Plot case has seen witnesses testifying for hours, while the accused, sitting thousands of miles away, are not getting a chance to defend themselves or be cross-examined.
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On the other hand, allegations of corruption worth billions of taka are being spread in the media regarding the Rooppur nuclear project or the Adani power contract. However, in reality, both Russia’s Rosatom and Bangladesh’s Electricity Department have confirmed that there was no corruption. Still, these facts are being hidden, and fabricated stories are being spread.
Every political drama has a purpose. And the show that is being staged around Sheikh Hasina and her family is no exception. Although from the outside, these may look like court hearings, witness statements, and investigative reports, in reality they are a well-planned political project. The goal is not justice but gaining legitimacy through scandal and humiliation.
By dragging Sheikh Hasina, her son Joy, daughter Putul, and even her family into fabricated cases, the interim government and its sponsors are trying to reshape the political reality of Bangladesh by destroying the reputation of the Awami League leadership.
Essentially, this drama serves three interrelated purposes, which have a profound impact on the political and social context of Bangladesh.
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These three purposes are outlined more clearly and specifically below:
First, there is a well-planned attempt to tarnish the reputation of Sheikh Hasina and her legacy. For a long time, Sheikh Hasina has been considered a symbol of economic growth, infrastructural development and political stability in Bangladesh. Significant achievements under her leadership, such as the Padma Bridge, the metrorail, and power sector reforms, have been acknowledged even by her critics. But now, through court proceedings and media leaks, these achievements are being diluted with a simplified narrative of โcorruption.โ Sheikh Hasina is being portrayed as the mastermind of illegal deals, thus questioning her governmentโs achievements. The strategy aims to turn her into a symbol of greed and abuse of power, thereby undermining the sense of pride and legitimacy among her supporters.
Secondly, this attack is not limited to Sheikh Hasina alone but has a specific goal of weakening her next generation of leadership. Her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy is known as one of the main architects of modernisation in the technology sector of Bangladesh, and her daughter Saima Wazed Putul is internationally recognised for her significant contributions in the fields of health and education. An attempt is being made to dismantle the future leadership of the Awami League by raising legal complications and corruption allegations against them and tarnishing them. This strategy sends a clear message โ if Sheikh Hasina withdraws from politics, her children will also be tarnished to the point that they will no longer be able to take on the responsibility of political leadership. In this way, a plan is being implemented to uproot the political lineage of the Awami League.
Thirdly, the most significant objective of this process is to establish the legitimacy of the interim government. This government, which is in power without being elected by the people, is creating a narrative in which the previous government is presented as corrupt and morally bankrupt. Through this narrative, they want to establish themselves as the “saviours” of the country. They are reinforcing this strategy through court trials, media headlines, and leaks on the international stage. Their goal is to create the impression among the public and the international community that Sheikh Hasinaโs removal is not a coup, but an essential step in the countryโs political purification. In this way, they are trying to establish the legitimacy of their rule as well as gain public support.
These three objectives are intertwined and are being implemented in a planned manner to achieve a specific political goal. However, these various projects are nothing new to Bangladesh; throughout history, various interim governments have consolidated their power through scandals, scandals, and the politics of selective justice. The court is no longer a place to determine innocence or guilt; rather, it is a place to create a narrative.
Ultimately, the goal is not to prove Sheikh Hasina guilty in the eyes of the law, but to make her guilty in the public imagination. So that when history is written, her chapter ends with humiliation, not honour. In that sense, these trials, testimonies, and news are not just about a few individuals, but rather a process of rewriting the political DNA of Bangladesh.
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