Washington: The US has dismissed as “laughable” and “false” the suggestion that it was behind Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s departure. Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5, following widespread protests against her government’s controversial job quota scheme. Following her dismissal, the country formed an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

That is ludicrous. “Any implication that the US was involved in Sheikh Hasina’s resignation is absolutely false,” Vedant Patel, the US State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, said on Tuesday when asked about Hasina’s accusation that the US 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 told reporters.

The United States announced on Monday that it will continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh, emphasizing that President Joe Biden is “consistent in speaking loud and clear” on human rights problems.