Muhammad Yunus Confronted by Bangladeshi Protesters at New York Airport

NEW YORK — Muhammad Yunus, the former head of Bangladesh’s interim government, was confronted by a group of Bangladeshi expatriates at John F. Kennedy International Airport, where protesters accused him of undermining democracy and committing human rights abuses during his administration.

A video circulating on social media showed protesters shouting at Yunus as he was escorted through the airport in a wheelchair.

“You terrorist, why did you come here? You have destroyed the democracy in my country!” one protester shouted.

Another accused Yunus of responsibility for widespread deaths in Bangladesh, declaring, “You terrorist, you killed thousands of people in Bangladesh.”

Other demonstrators accused the former interim leader of responsibility for the deaths of Bangladeshi police officers and demanded that he leave the United States.

The allegations made by protesters were not independently substantiated in the report.

Yunus arrived in New York on October 12 aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha and encountered the protesters after reaching Terminal 8, according to the Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Sun.

The confrontation comes amid criticism of Yunus’s 18-month tenure leading Bangladesh’s interim administration, including allegations of politically motivated arrests, attacks on religious minorities and prolonged detention of journalists, lawyers, political figures and activists.

A recent Daily Sun report raised questions about the availability of official records documenting arrests, criminal charges and prosecutions during the interim government’s tenure.

Critics have also questioned whether the administration delivered on its promises to reform government institutions and strengthen democratic accountability.

According to the newspaper, opponents of the interim administration alleged that unelected civil society figures and informal advisers exercised considerable influence over government decisions without direct public accountability.

The report also cited concerns about the alleged politicization of state institutions, with critics claiming that political instability allowed Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party to expand their influence within the bureaucracy.

Those critics further alleged that patronage and corruption undermined the administration’s reform agenda.

The allegations remain contested, and the report did not include a response from Yunus to the protesters’ accusations. (Source: IANS)