Former Bangladesh interim government chief Muhammad Yunus faced angry accusations from Bangladeshi expatriates at New York’s JFK Airport….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Muhammad Yunus, former head of Bangladesh’s interim government, faced an angry confrontation with a group of Bangladeshi expatriates at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport on October 12. Protesters shouted accusations against him, calling him a “terrorist” and blaming his administration for alleged killings and damage to democracy in the South Asian country.
Videos circulating on social media showed several people confronting Yunus as he was escorted from the airport in a wheelchair. One protester was heard shouting, “You terrorist, why did you come here? You have destroyed the democracy in my country!”
Another man accused Yunus of being responsible for thousands of deaths in Bangladesh, saying, “You terrorist, you killed thousands of people in Bangladesh.”
Other protesters accused him of the deaths of Bangladeshi police personnel and shouted “Go back” as he left the airport.
According to Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Sun, Yunus arrived at Terminal 8 of JFK International Airport on October 12 aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. A group of people confronted him after his arrival.
The incident comes amid continued criticism of Yunus’s 18-month tenure as head of Bangladesh’s interim administration. His government has faced allegations of political vendetta, arbitrary arrests, increasing attacks on minorities and the prolonged detention of lawyers, politicians, journalists, academics and political activists.
What are the main criticisms of Yunus’s interim administration?
A recent report by Daily Sun questioned the lack of publicly available records detailing the number of people arrested, formally charged or prosecuted during the interim government’s tenure.
The report also examined the administration’s stated commitment to comprehensive reforms of state institutions. Critics cited in the report argued that governance instead became increasingly influenced by unelected civil society figures, an influential group described as a “kitchen cabinet” and other interests operating without democratic accountability.
The report further raised concerns about the alleged politicisation of state institutions during the interim period.
Citing critics, it said political instability had allowed Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) to expand their influence within sections of the bureaucracy and other state institutions.
Critics argued that the administration’s record fell short of expectations for improved governance, alleging that patronage, self-interest and corruption had become more prominent.
The airport confrontation reflects the continuing political divisions surrounding Yunus’s leadership and the legacy of the interim government. The accusations made by protesters in New York were not independently established by the footage described in reports of the incident.
The confrontation also highlights how Bangladesh’s domestic political tensions have extended beyond the country, with expatriate communities expressing strong views about the interim administration and its handling of political and institutional affairs.
