Following his release by Bangladesh’s interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, Jashimuddin Rahmani, leader of the Islamist group Ansarullah Bangla Team, urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to “liberate Bengal from Modi’s rule” and declare its independence.
Reports suggest Rahmani also sought support from Pakistan and Afghanistan to push for independence in Jammu and Kashmir. Ansarullah Bangla Team, affiliated with al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), is a banned group in India. Rahmani’s comments were made in a video that has gone viral, believed to have been filmed in a hospital. A Dhaka-based fact-checker confirmed its authenticity.
Rahmani was arrested in 2013 for his involvement in the murder of atheist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, and accused of inciting students to commit the act in defense of Islam.
In the viral video, Rahmani reportedly warned India, stating that Bangladesh, with its Muslim population of 180 million, would not be treated like smaller neighboring countries such as Sikkim or Bhutan. He threatened to involve China and encouraged the northeastern states of India to join a freedom movement.
He further claimed that Pakistan and Afghanistan would aid Kashmir’s independence and encouraged the Sikh community, especially those aligned with the Khalistan movement, to rise in their call for freedom across India.
Rahmani stressed that while Bangladesh does not seek conflict with other nations, including India, it would retaliate if provoked. He concluded by predicting that “the day is near when your country will break apart and the flags of Tawhid will fly over Delhi.”
The comments come in the wake of the ousting of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a mass student-led uprising. Hasina fled to India on August 5.
