'Go back to Pakistan': Bangladeshi diaspora protests against Muhammad Yunus outside UN headquarters

New Delhi: Members of the Bangladeshi diaspora staged a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday. The protests targeted Muhammad Yunus, the interim Chief Adviser of Bangladesh. The demonstrators, many of whom identified themselves as supporters of former PM Sheikh Hasina, have accused Yunus of presiding over escalating violence against minorities and of steering the country towards extremism since taking office in August 2024.

Chanting slogans such as "Yunus is Pakistani. Go back to Pakistan," the protestors voiced their concern in what they described as a "dire" human rights climate under the current regime. Placards were carried by demonstrators that highlighted the allegations of rising attacks against Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and other minority communities in Bangladesh.

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One protestor said, "We are protesting against the illegal Yunus regime. Since August 5, 2024, when Sheikh Hasina had to leave the country for security reasons, minorities have been targeted and killed. Millions of Hindus have been forced to flee their homes. This is why we demand Yunus step down and hold free elections," as reported by news agency ANI.

Another protestor alleged that Yunus was pushing Bangladesh towards radicalisation. “He is making Bangladesh a Taliban country, a terrorist country. We demand the release of the religious priest Chinmoy Krishna Das, who has been unlawfully jailed,” the protester said as quoted by ANI.

Several demonstrators said that Hasina's government that they described was secular and democratically elected had been "illegally ousted" in collusion with Islamist groups. "Dr Yunus is transforming Bangladesh into a semi-Taliban nation systematically," said one protestor.

Meanwhile in the UN General Assembly, Muhammad Yunus recalled last year's "popular uprising" and said that Bangladesh is on a journey of transformation. He also said, “Out of every 100 people on this planet, nearly three live in Bangladesh.”