New Delhi: Mahfuz Alam, an advisor in Bangladesh’s interim government under Muhammad Yunus, made a provocative statement on Victory Day to annex India. Victory Day, celebrated on December 16, commemorates Bangladesh’s victory over the Pakistani army in the 1971 Liberation War.
On December 16, Alam, a known Islamist, made a Facebook post that sought to create division in northeast and north India by highlighting cultural differences. The post was there by a controversial map showing West Bengal, Tripura and Assam as parts of Bangladesh. After huge public backlash, the post was deleted.
Alam urges ‘freedom’ from India
Mahfuz Alam, in the post, wrote that the cultures of northeast India and Bangladesh are similar, transcending religious differences. He further added that the creation of east Pakistan was a result of the “anti-Bengal attitude” of upper-caste Hindus and “Hindu extremists.” Alam said, “India has adopted a program of control and colonization… To ensure true freedom from India, we need to repeat 1975 and 2024.”
It is to be noted that in 1975, Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 18 members of his family were assassinated. In 2024, his daughter, Sheikh Hasina, was ousted from the prime ministerial position through undemocratic methods. Seeking to divide India, Alam stated, “There is a 50-year gap between these events, but nothing has changed. We remain trapped in geography and systems. We now need a new geography and system.”
Post deleted after backlash
Alam also posted a map on his Facebook account showing Bangladesh extending into West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. But, the controversial post was swiftly deleted after it provoked widespread outrage. Alam quickly realised that his bold claim about Bangladesh’s territorial ambitions could lead to diplomatic tensions. Within two hours of sharing the post about conquering India, he removed the post. Prior to this, Mahfuz Alam had served as a “special assistant” to Muhammad Yunus.
