The United States has rejected any involvement in the removal of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who recently stepped down and left the country. On Monday, the White House dismissed the accusations of US interference, labeling them as “completely untrue.”

“We were not involved in any way. Any reports or rumors suggesting that the United States government played a role in these events are completely false,” stated White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre during a press briefing when questioned about the allegations of US involvement, according to CNBC with Reuters contributing.

These claims emerged in a report by the Economic Times on Sunday, which quoted Hasina as accusing the US of influencing her removal because of its interest in controlling Bangladesh’s Saint Martin island in the Bay of Bengal. The newspaper reported that Hasina conveyed this accusation through her close associates.

However, Hasina’s son, Sajeeb Wazed, refuted this claim in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, clarifying that “she never made any such statement.”

The White House reiterated its stance, stating, “We believe that the people of Bangladesh should decide the future of their government, and that remains our position.”

An interim government in Bangladesh, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, was sworn in on Thursday to oversee the organization of elections in the country.

Bangladesh has been facing widespread protests and violence, sparked by student demonstrations last month. These protests, which initially focused on opposing government job quotas for certain groups, evolved into a larger movement calling for Hasina’s removal.

She had secured a fourth consecutive term in January, but the opposition boycotted the election, and the US State Department criticized it as neither free nor fair.