THE global outcry against the death sentence to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Ms. Sheikh Hasina by the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal is only natural. Given the method, mode and manner in which the Bangladesh judiciary is being dominated by the ruling crowd in the country makes it clear that transparent justice is never possible to anybody, let alone the political opponents. The United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, has opposed the death penalty to Ms. Sheikh Hasina on the ground that the world body as part of its avowed policy of opposing death penalty in “all circumstances”. However, scores of other people in important positions -- including a hundred journalists the world over -- have insisted that such method of justice defies the core value of transparency and therefore the death penalty to Ms. Sheikh Hasina is not acceptable.

 

On its part, India has chosen to keep a non-committal watch on what is happening in Bangladesh, and has refused to extradite the ousted Prime Minister from its asylum. This stand is consistent with India’s position as regards the happenings in Bangladesh for the past some time. Since the hounding out of Ms. Sheikh Hasina from prime ministership of Bangladesh over a year ago by a rogue crowd, India has maintained that any action defying principles of democracy would never get New Delhi’s support. Even though India is concerned about protecting its interests in Bangladesh, New Delhi has refused to accept the change in that country -- obviously on grounds that a fundamentalist crowd and regime cannot throw out democratically-elected Prime Minister. Since the ouster of Ms. Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is being run by fundamentalist elements that have put forth a respectable personality like Prof. Mohammad Yunus, the Nobel Prize winner. No matter the high intellectual reputation Prof.

 

Yunus enjoys, he is being treated by the whole world as an American stooge who has been pitchforked into a critical top position by forces of fundamentalism -- backed allegedly by the United States Deep State (read ‘secret service’). The fundamentalist crowds in Bangladesh threw out Ms. Sheikh Hasina and then went on a rampage to pull down the statue of Bangladesh liberator Sheikh Mujib Ur Rehman and every other possible symbol of the memory of the freedom struggle of the country -- in the process annoying India and other countries. Among the negative outcomes of these pseudo-political developments is that Prof.

 

Yunus has begun hobnobbing with powers such as China. He is also establishing certain closeness with Pakistan (of which Bangladesh was part just fifty years ago). He has also been talking against India’s interests as if he is taking some revenge against the powerful neighbour. The diplomatic hobnobbings by Prof. Yunus look directly opposed to Indian interests -- sending alarm to New Delhi. Various actions by Bangladesh in the past one year appear as security and strategic threats to India. Hence the alarm in New Delhi. India is now watching the developments in Bangladesh out of that concern about its strategic interests as well.

 

The International Crimes Tribunal’s decision to give death penalty to Ms. Sheikh Hasina, therefore, is being viewed as something untoward -- within Bangladesh and in the larger world. Though Ms. Sheikh Hasina is out of bounds for Bangladesh, the ruling group there must reconsider the death penalty to the ousted Prime Minister -- and call for elections by way of which democracy could return to the troubled State. The widespread protests against the death sentence demonstrate that Ms. Sheikh hasina still holds sway in Bangladesh and cannot be kept aside by a rogue crowd by heaping injustice on her and the country. The Bangladesh authorities -- with whatever moral authority they have -- must reconsider the death penalty and initiate a democratic process to get started in the country at the earliest. That appears to be the only way out.