The Chief Adviser’s Office has dismissed as “laughable” the use of the term extremist to describe Professor Muhammad Yunus and rejected allegations of state-backed persecution of minorities in Bangladesh.
Shafiqul Alam, the Chief Adviser’s press secretary, said that Bangladesh is not a country where one would find “government-sponsored systematic discrimination” against religious minorities.
“It is unfortunate that the death of Bhabesh Chandra Roy has been described as part of a ‘pattern’ of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities under the interim government,” Alam said, responding to a statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
He termed the Indian statement “baseless” and asserted that the government remains committed to safeguarding the rights of all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliations.
Regarding the Dinajpur incident, Alam said preliminary findings show that the victim had voluntarily gone out with individuals known to him, and no suspicions were raised by the family at that time. The autopsy did not reveal any visible signs of injury, but authorities have ordered a viscera test to determine the cause of death conclusively.
“Appropriate action will be taken once the report is available. Meanwhile, we urge all quarters to refrain from fabricated or inciteful commentary,” he added.
Earlier, Indian MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal expressed distress over Bhabesh Roy’s death, calling it part of an alleged pattern of Hindu minority persecution in Bangladesh.
Responding to the broader accusations, Chief Adviser’s deputy press secretary Apurba Jahangir termed the extremist label against Prof Yunus a “narrative vandalism.”
“The word ‘extremist’ should sting when spoken. It suggests violence, blind faith, destruction. To aim that word at Professor Yunus is not only inaccurate, but laughable,” he wrote on Facebook.