Yunus dismisses anti-Hindu violence allegations in Bangladesh, blames India for 'fake news'

Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus - File Photo

Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus has rejected claims of rising violence against Hindus, calling reports “fake news" and accusing India of spreading disinformation. Speaking to British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan for his platform Zeteo, Yunus defended his government against accusations of religious persecution following the August 2024 revolution that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“First of all, these are fake news. You can’t go by those. Fake news,” Yunus said. When Hasan cited evidence of mob attacks, vandalism, and the arrest of a Hindu monk for raising a religious flag, Yunus insisted, “One of the specialty of India right now is fake news. Okay, barrage of fake news.”

Pressed on whether anti-Hindu violence had increased under his administration, Yunus downplayed the incidents, arguing they were being misrepresented. “There is a normal kind of relationship that goes on. There’s some conflict sometimes… You happen to be my neighbour. You are a Hindu neighbour, I’m a Muslim neighbour. We have problem with our land demarcation, just like two neighbours. So you said this is Hindu, Muslim. That’s not it.”

He added that his government was vigilant to any communal tension while accusing India of exploiting minority issues to apply political pressure on Bangladesh. “Don’t go back and say I’m a Hindu, so protect me. Always say, I’m a citizen of this country. I’m entitled to all the protection state is supposed to give it to me,” Yunus said, addressing Bangladesh’s Hindu population.

However, independent reports and minority groups paint a starkly different picture. In July, the Hindu–Buddhist–Christian Unity Council claimed that the Yunus-led government had overlooked over 2,000 crimes against religious minorities and accused authorities of excluding minorities from the ongoing political reforms.

Bangladesh has faced sustained political unrest since student-led protests forced Hasina into exile in India last year. Diplomatic ties with New Delhi remain strained, and public scepticism is growing over Yunus’s promise to hold national elections in February 2026. Critics warn that dismissing credible allegations and blaming India risks further marginalising minority communities in a Muslim-majority nation of 170 million.