NEW YORK: Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh interim government encountered angry protests and severe backlash from Bangladeshi expatriates at New York’s John F Kennedy International Airport on October 12. Demonstrators slammed the former Chief Advisor for undermining democracy and being responsible for numerous deaths during his tenure.
Fmr Bangladesh interim chief adviser Muhammad Yunus heckled at New York’s JFK Airport by Awami League supporters; accuse him of destroying democracy
After Aug 2024 protests that ousted the then 🇧🇩 PM Hasina, Yunus became de facto head of 🇧🇩 interim govt pic.twitter.com/AgCG89cqBW
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) October 13, 2026
Protesters slam Yunus for political violence; Calls him a “terrorist”
Yunus arrived at JFK Airport on October 12, Monday aboard a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. According to Bangladeshi media reports, the confrontation took place after he reached Terminal 8, where a group of expatriates shouted at the former Chief Adviser as he was being escorted out of the airport in a wheelchair.
A video of the incident showed demonstrators confronting Yunus, with one man heard shouting, “You are a terrorist. You have killed people in Bangladesh. Why have you come here? Tell us, why have you come?” Others smashed him for destroying democracy in Bangladesh, killing police personnel and allowing political violence to escalate during his administration. Some protesters repeatedly demanded that he should “go back”.
Security personnel subsequently escorted Yunus away from the scene. According to the Dhaka-based Daily Sun, citing accounts from people present at the airport, Yunus and his aide, Lamia Morshed, briefly moved back inside the terminal amid the backlash from the Bangladeshi diaspora.
The protesters shouted that approximately two lakh people had been arrested in Bangladesh and held Yunus responsible for the deaths of thousands of police personnel. However, there was no immediate comment from Yunus or his representatives on the incident or the allegations.
Yunus’s tenure witnessed law & order issues, minority safety crisis
Yunus led Bangladesh’s interim administration was marked by attacks on Hindu communities and places of worship, arbitrary arrests and custodial deaths and questions about the treatment of political opponents. Hundreds from the minority Hindu community have been attacked, lynched by radical Islamist mobs, beaten to death and Hindu houses have been set on fire. Despite such repeated attacks there was no action or accountability by the government to protect minority rights.
Meanwhile, during the interim administration under Muhammad Yunus, bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh also deteriorated drastically. His remarks in China in March 2025 concerning India’s northeastern states drew criticism in India amid concerns over regional security and strategic connectivity. Disagreements over minority safety and other bilateral issues further strained ties. Dhaka’s increasing inclination towards Pakistan, also fuelled concerns.
