Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has spoken out for the first time since her dramatic resignation and departure to India a week ago, hinting at the United States' role in her unceremonious ouster.

“I resigned to avoid witnessing further violence. They aimed to seize power over the dead bodies of students, but I prevented that by resigning,” Hasina said, The Economic Times reported.

Bangladesh is currently in a state of political flux. Hasina resigned on August 5 amid escalating protests by students demanding an end to the controversial quota system for government jobs.

Last week, fearing for safety amid widespread violence, Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka in a military aircraft. She is currently in a secure location in India.

An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has been established to oversee the transition and prepare for early elections.

The violence that followed Hasina’s resignation has resulted in over 230 deaths, bringing the total number of casualties since the protests began in mid-July to 560.

Sheikh Hasina also claimed that she could have remained in power “if I had surrendered the sovereignty of Saint Martin Island and allowed America to hold sway over the Bay of Bengal”.