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Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin told newspaper Kaler Kontho that he was virtually kept under house arrest by the regime of Muhammad Yunus for 18 months. He was neither allowed to venture out for the traditional Eid namaz nor for his treatment after bypass surgery in Singapore. This is a damning indictment of Yunus for the way the head of state was treated.
Shahabuddin had previously told Reuters he would step down from the Presidency due to being sidelined, humiliated by the Yunus-led interim regime. (Image:Social Media)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Feb 24, 2026 13:32 IST
In a damning indictment of the interim regime led by Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin said that he was virtually under house arrest for 18 months, and denied travel rights even for health reasons. In an exclusive interview with Bangladeshi newspaper Kaler Kontho, Shahabuddin said that the restrictions on his travel disrupted the Eid traditions followed by the president since the liberation of the country.
"It was as if I was under house arrest in this palace," said Shahabuddin, referring to Bangabhaban, the official residence of the president.
On Tuesday, Kaler Kontho published the second part of its exclusive interview with Bangladesh President Shahabuddin. In the first part, Shahabuddin described the unconstitutional actions of Yunus, including the plot to remove him, and keeping him in the dark on the US trade deal.
"The President participates in the holy Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha prayers at the Eidgah Maidan, this tradition has been going on since the country's independence. But Dr Yunus's government has put obstacles i that tradition," Shahabuddin told Kaler Kontho.
He said he wasn't allowed to go to the Eidgah Maidan to participate in the two Eid prayers.
"I was clearly informed through the security department that you will not go to the Eidgah to participate in the Eid prayers," he added.
Shahabuddin complained that while Chief Adviser Yunus, as the de facto prime minister, made 14 foreign trips, he wasn't allowed to travel abroad even for health reasons.
"I had a bypass surgery at the University Hospital of Singapore. A year after the surgery, I had a follow-up appointment at the hospital there. I wrote to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to go to Singapore for treatment. In response, I was directly prohibited," said Sahabuddin.
"They said, if necessary, they will arrange to bring a doctor from abroad, but still, I cannot go abroad," he said.
Shahabuddin felt so "sidelined" during Yunus's rule that he told Reuters in an interview in December 2025 that he had no intention of continuing as the president. In this interview, he said that was because he was feeling stifled, but was now "relaxed" as an elected government had been sworn in.
Muhammad Yunus took over as the chief adviser of the interim regime in Bangladesh on August 8, 2024, after a violent agitation toppled the regime of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
- Ends
Published By:
Shounak Sanyal
Published On:
Feb 24, 2026
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