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Muhammad Yunus, the head of the earlier interim government in Bangladesh, was confronted by angry Bangladeshi expatriates at New York's JFK Airport. The heckling showcases the anger over his tenure after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime. Yunus is travelling abroad amid calls for probes against him and his Grameen Group.
Former Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus was seen in a wheelchair at the JFK Airport in New York. (Image: Social Media)
New Delhi,Oct 13, 2026 10:39 IST
Muhammad Yunus, the head of the former interim government in Bangladesh, faced angry questions and accusations from a group of Bangladeshi expatriates at the John F Kennedy (JFK) Airport in New York on Monday, with some calling him a "terrorist" and accusing him of killing hundreds and undermining democracy. This is the first time that Yunus, a Noble laureate, is travelling abroad after stepping down as the Chief Advisor. There have been calls for anti-corruption probes against him and his Grameen Group.
"You are a terrorist. You have killed people in Bangladesh. Why have you come here? Tell us, why have you come?" a man was heard shouting at Yunus in a video circulating on social media.
According to some Bangladeshi media reports, the confrontation took place after Yunus arrived at Terminal 8 on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. The footage showed people shouting at the former chief adviser as he was being taken out of the airport in a wheelchair. Some also demanded that he "go back".
The protesters accused Yunus of being responsible for the deaths of thousands of police personnel and alleged that around two lakh people had been arrested in Bangladesh.
Security personnel subsequently escorted Yunus away from the scene. Dhaka-based Daily Sun newspaper reported, citing accounts from people present at the airport, that Yunus and his aide Lamia Morshed, who was accompanying him, quickly moved back inside the airport during the confrontation.
The identities of the expatriates involved haven't been confirmed. One media outlet termed the hecklers as supporters of the Awami League, the party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
There was no immediate comment from Yunus or his representatives on the incident or the allegations.
WHY MUHAMMAD YUNUS'S TENURE HAS BEEN CRITICISED
The confrontation comes against the backdrop of a turbulent period in Bangladesh's politics and strained relations with India during the tenure of Yunus as the head of the interim government.
Yunus assumed office on August 8, 2024, after Sheikh Hasina was ousted and her Awami League government fell amid a mass uprising on August 5. Official data suggest 1,400 people were killed in the July-August protests.
The Yunus-led interim government of Bangladesh faced criticism over developments within Bangladesh, while his public remarks on India's strategic interests and the country's Northeast triggered diplomatic friction with New Delhi.
One of the most contentious episodes came during Yunus' visit to China in March 2025, when he called Bangladesh the gateway to the sea for India's landlocked northeastern states and presented the region as an opportunity for Chinese economic expansion.
He also said that the region offered a major opportunity for China, suggesting that it could become an extension of the Chinese economy.
The remarks drew a sharp response from India, with concerns over the strategic implications of comments by Yunus adding to the unease in bilateral relations.
Despite the tenure of Yunus ended, and a new elected government led by Tarique Rahman assumed power, India-Bangladesh relations have yet to fully move past the tensions that developed under the interim administration.
As Bangladeshi expatriates in the US shouted, "You terrorist, why are you here?", the confrontation offered a glimpse of the anger among some Bangladeshis abroad towards Yunus, who led the country through a turbulent transition.
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