Bangladesh dismisses Indian media's claims of instability in army as ‘baseless’

The Bangladeshi government on Thursday dismissed reports by certain Indian media outlets alleging instability within the Bangladesh Army, calling them “baseless” and “deeply irresponsible,” while asserting that such claims undermine diplomatic relations.

Over the past few days, India Today, The Economic Times, and other media organisations reported that Lieutenant General Faizur Rahman, who serves as a quartermaster general, had allegedly attempted to stage a coup to replace General Waqar-uz-Zaman as the Army chief, and they further claimed that Rahman had been placed under surveillance.

The government, however, rejected these reports, stating that they were entirely unfounded and detrimental to the credibility of the media outlets involved.

Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, criticised the reports, saying that the spread of such disinformation damages diplomatic norms and diminishes mutual respect, while also undermining trust in the media.

Yunus, a Nobel laureate economist, took over as the head of the interim government on August 8, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power and fled to India on August 5 following widespread student-led protests against her Awami League government, which had ruled Bangladesh for 16 years.

Diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh have been strained since Hasina sought refuge in India, while incidents of violence against religious minorities have been reported in various parts of Bangladesh. Dhaka, earlier this month, confirmed that it had sent formal letters to New Delhi requesting Hasina’s extradition, but it stated that no official response had been received from India on the matter.