 "Bangladesh coup? Muhammad Yunus calls it just a 'festival of rumours'")
Amid speculation of a military coup, Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has sounded the alarm over what he calls a "festival of rumours" targeting his administration, blaming it on "defeated forces" - a veiled reference to the ousted government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Yunus links misinformation to 2024 Uprising
In a nationally televised address on the eve of Bangladesh’s 53rd Independence Day, Yunus attributed the surge in misinformation to the July-August 2024 Uprising that led to Hasina’s removal.
"The rumours are powerful tools in the hands of the defeated forces against the July-August Uprising," Yunus said.
This year, breaking from tradition, there will be no National Day military parade in Dhaka, though district-level celebrations will continue. Senior Secretary in the home ministry Nasimul Gani recently stated that the country remains in a "wartime mode."
Coup rumours gain traction
Meanwhile, social media has been abuzz with rumours of an imminent coup, particularly after reports of army meetings and increased military presence in Dhaka. Some speculate that Bangladesh Army Chief General Waqar Uz Zaman is at the centre of these developments as Yunus continues to face protests and mounting criticism.
Reports also suggest that the army chief has held multiple meetings with his top aides over the weekend, discussing security concerns amid rising extremism in the country. His repeated warnings about terrorist threats and the deteriorating law-and-order situation have only fueled speculation about a possible military intervention.
Meanwhile, Gani dismissed speculation about a declaration of emergency as "gossip." ALSO READ | Bangladesh Army denies media report on 'emergency meeting' of generals
Political fallout and allegations
Sheikh Hasina’s government was toppled in a student-led mass protest on August 5, 2024. Yunus, who was in France at the time, returned to Bangladesh three days later and took charge as the interim leader. His rule, however, has been mired in controversy, with critics accusing his administration of enabling ultra-right and Islamist factions to gain influence while sidelining pro-Liberation War forces.
Many leaders of the Awami League, which led Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, have been arrested or are in hiding, facing trials under Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Secretary-General of ex-premier Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), accused certain groups of attempting to rewrite history.
"Some people, some parties, some groups are trying to make it seem as if 1971 never happened... trying to erase it from memory," Alamgir said at a BNP rally on Tuesday.
Amid these tensions, Asaduzzaman Fuad, general secretary of the student-led Aamar Bangladesh Party (AB Party), accused General Zaman of conspiring with President Mohammed Shahabuddin to install a new interim government.
"You can see the army chief holding certain so-called meetings and indulging in a new conspiracy. To see how, under the president, a new interim government can be formed. This president is a slave dog of Sheikh Hasina. If you try and run the country with Shahabuddin, lakhs of Abu Syeds will lay down our lives and blow up the cantonment," Fuad said, referring to Abu Syed, a student activist who died during the July 2024 protests.
Rumours of Fuad’s arrest have further fueled speculation about a military intervention to rein in hardline forces. However, the AB Party has denied reports of his detention. ALSO READ | Bangladesh awaits India's response to Yunus-Modi meeting proposal
General Zaman’s speech resurfaces
In addition, a video of the army chief's speech from last month has resurfaced amid the coup speculation. In the viral clip, Zaman warns of growing political instability and urges unity to prevent further chaos.
"Later you will say I did not warn you, so I am warning you. If you cannot forget your differences and work together, if you keep mudslinging at each other, fight each other and kill each other, the country's and this community's freedom will go in vain," General Zaman had said in the speech.
"I am telling you today otherwise you will say that I did not warn you. I am warning all of you. I have no other intentions, I have only one intention. I want to take leave after placing the country and people in a good place. I have had enough for the last seven to eight months. We want to place the country and people in a good place and return to the barracks," he added.
(With PTI inputs)