Three major Indian news outlets -- The Hindu, Hindustan Times and The New Indian Express -- today published written interviews with ousted Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The interview published in The Hindu newspaper cites Hasina as saying, "Mistakes were certainly made by security forces while responding to the uprising."

She also told the newspaper that she has not called upon her supporters to boycott the next national election. "Let me be clear: I have not called for a boycott. The point I was making was that millions of Awami League voters will not vote at all if they are denied the chance to support their preferred choice," Hasina said. "Whatever happens our campaign will be peaceful. The last thing Bangladesh needs is yet more violent upheaval."

Speaking to the Hindustan Times, the Awami League president -- whose party's activities remain banned in Bangladesh -- expressed gratitude to India for offering refuge.

"I am deeply grateful to the Indian people for providing me with a safe haven," she said. "The connections between our two countries are broad and deep. We pride ourselves on being India's reliable partner."

Addressing the ban on her party's activities, Hasina said, "As a party, we will continue to challenge this ban legally, diplomatically and peacefully to ensure that ordinary people retain their right to choose their representatives."

Regarding her role in the 2024 crackdown on protesters, during which the UN estimates say 1,400 people were killed, she said, "…Mistakes were certainly made by some members of the law enforcement in their handling of the violence."

"But to suggest that I was directing minute-by-minute tactical responses from the prime minister's office is to fundamentally misunderstand how security forces work. I repeat, at no point did I authorise security forces to fire on crowds," Hasina said.

However, The Daily Star's own investigations found that Hasina had personally authorised the use of lethal weapons. This newspaper had reported on a phone recording from July 18, 2024 where Hasina tells her nephew, former Dhaka South Mayor Fazle Noor Taposh, "I have given instructions, now I have given direct instructions; now they will use lethal weapons. Wherever they find them [protesters], they will shoot directly."

The ousted prime minister told The New Indian Express that Awami League "ardently wishes to participate" in the next national election.

"We have to break this cycle of parties either boycotting elections or being banned, because it undermines the legitimacy of the government," she added. "Bangladesh badly needs to hold a free, fair and inclusive election, so that the country can begin to heal and move towards reconciliation."

It should be pointed out that Hasina has been accused of disenfranchising millions of voters through holding elections without the participation of opposition parties. Ironically, her regime had summarily banned the Jamaat-e-Islami just days before her ouster in 2024.

Previously, Reuters, AFP, and the UK-based Independent had published written interviews with Hasina on October 29, marking the first time she spoke to international media since taking refuge in India.