Be mindful of your comments: India slams Bangladesh over Yunus aide’s social media post

India on Friday (Dec 20) lodged a strong protest with Bangladesh over a now-deleted social media post by an aide of Muhammad Yunus. 

Addressing a press conference, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have registered our strong protest on this issue with the Bangladesh side. We understand that the post being referred to has reportedly been taken down.”

“We would like to remind all concerned to be mindful of their public comments,” Jaiswal added. 

While India has repeatedly signalled interest in fostering relations with the people and the interim government of Bangladesh, such comments underline the need for responsibility in public articulation, he further said.

A few days back, senior Bangladeshi leader Mahfuj Alam who is serving as an advisor in Yunus’ interim government, shared a post on social media that had a map that included India’s eastern and northeastern territories of Bengal, Assam, and Tripura. 

However, the post was deleted two hours later.

In a post on X shared by Bangladeshi non-profit organisation Bangladesh Watch, Alam alleged that India maintained a “contain” and “ghettoize” policy towards his country.

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“He clearly states that 1975 (the coup which saw Sheikh Mujib and almost his entire family killed) and the 2024 protests both came to save Bangladesh from Indian reliance and hegemony,” the post said.

Alam was one of the recent anti-government protesters in Bangladesh which led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.

(With inputs from agencies)