CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Protest against Muhammad Yunus at New York airport, Bangladesh to take action
Muhammad Yunus, former chief adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, faced protests at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, United States. Yunus, who arrived at the airport on October 12, 2026, was surrounded by some people who shouted slogans against him. The protesters called him a “terrorist” and accused him of damaging democracy in Bangladesh. After a video of the incident surfaced on social media, political controversy intensified in Bangladesh.
According to media reports, Muhammad Yunus had arrived in New York on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha. Some people surrounded him at Terminal 8 of the airport and staged a protest. In the video, Yunus is seen sitting in a wheelchair, while people around him can be heard shouting slogans against him. The protesters alleged that democracy in Bangladesh weakened during Yunus’s tenure and that action was taken against people. They also held him responsible for violence and arrests in the country. However, the protesters’ allegations have not been independently verified. The video also does not establish the truth of these allegations.
Security personnel and aides escorted Yunus out of the area. Lamia Morshed, an aide accompanying him, was also present during the incident.
The Bangladesh government condemned the incident and said it had begun the process of identifying those responsible and taking legal action against them. Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman said such alleged harassment would not be accepted. According to the government, Bangladesh’s mission in New York has been asked to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies to identify those involved in the incident. The government also said the incident had affected Bangladesh’s image internationally. Officials expressed suspicion that the protesters were linked to the Awami League, but their identities and political affiliations have not been independently confirmed on the basis of the video.
Bangladesh’s political background remains tense. In August 2024, after the fall of the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government following a student movement, Muhammad Yunus took charge of the interim administration. During his tenure, debates continued over political reforms, law and order, and human rights.
Yunus stepped down in February 2026 amid the process of handing over power to an elected government. The incident at New York airport highlights the continuing political divisions in Bangladesh and tensions within the Bangladeshi community living abroad.
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