Post-Hasina Bangladesh Sees Alarming Rise in Extremist Rhetoric: Islamist Cleric Calls for Suicide Attacks in Kolkata

GG News Bureau

Dhaka/Kolkata, 14th May:  In a chilling reminder of the growing radical tilt in Bangladesh following the exit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a controversial Islamist cleric, Maulana Abdul Quddus Faruqi, has openly called for suicide attacks in Kolkata, invoking Taliban-style tactics and issuing violent anti-Hindu slurs during a sermon that has gone viral online.

In a video uploaded on March 8 by Hasan Media, a Bangladeshi YouTube channel with over 12,000 subscribers, Faruqi can be seen urging the Bangladeshi Army to allow him to orchestrate suicide bombings in the Indian city.

“Forget using 70 fighter jets… I wouldn’t even use seven planes. I would send suicide bombers to Kolkata if the army permitted,” said Faruqi in the video.

The Islamist preacher glorified Taliban suicide bombers and claimed such tactics had helped defeat “superpowers like the United States and the Soviet Union.” He invoked verses which he interpreted as calling for “dying first, then killing the Kafirs [non-believers],” stating this was an effective method to strike fear.

Anti-Hindu Slurs and Hate Speech

In the 11-minute video, Faruqi also launched a virulent attack on the Hindu community, calling Hindus “physically weak,” “terrified of blood,” and mocking their food habits in a deeply derogatory tone.

“I know these idol-worshippers. I know how scared they get when they see blood,” he said, further asserting that knowledge of Hindu weaknesses is essential to be a “Muslim commander.”

The video has received over 1.3 lakh views, with analytics platform Lenostube noting it is performing 130 times above the channel’s average, sparking concern about its reach and potential to radicalize viewers.

Platforming Terror-Linked Voices

Even more concerning is Hasan Media’s growing platform for radical clerics. The same channel has hosted Jashimuddin Rahmani, chief of the al-Qaeda-linked Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT). Released shortly after Sheikh Hasina’s exit on August 5, 2024, under Bangladesh’s interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, Rahmani recently called on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to “free Bengal from Modi’s rule” and declare independence — a provocative and seditious appeal that has sent shockwaves across the region.

Regional Security Concerns

The statements by Faruqi and Rahmani are not isolated. They reflect a growing wave of extremist rhetoric in post-Hasina Bangladesh, where secular values once safeguarded by her government are now under threat. Security analysts warn that such sermons — easily spread via digital platforms — are a potent tool for radicalization.

Officials in India have reportedly taken serious note of these developments. Central intelligence agencies are closely monitoring both the clerics and the digital platforms promoting them, even as diplomatic pressure on Dhaka is expected to rise in the coming days.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs and Home Ministry have yet to issue formal statements, but sources suggest that Bangladesh’s deteriorating internal situation will be raised in bilateral forums, especially in the context of cross-border security and terrorism.

A Dangerous Turn

The rise of clerics like Faruqi — coupled with the emboldening of figures like Rahmani — signals a dramatic and troubling shift in Bangladesh’s ideological landscape. With Sheikh Hasina’s secular policies now being actively reversed, the country faces a real risk of becoming a fertile ground for extremist ideologies, with potential spillover effects into West Bengal and India’s Northeast.

What was once a model of moderate Muslim democracy under Hasina now risks sliding into a phase where radicalism is mainstreamed, with implications not just for Bangladesh’s minorities, but also for regional peace and India-Bangladesh relations.