Dr Yunus' deputy press secretary threatens press secretary of Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata'

Recently, there have been some allegations that journalists were threatened at various times by the press wing of the previous interim government. Now, Bangladeshi expatriate journalist and political analyst Zulkarnain Saer has made a post on his personal Facebook account in support of this allegation. The status said that Azad Majumder, Deputy Press Secretary of the previous interim government's Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, also 'threatened' Md Tariqul Islam Bhuiyan, alias Tarique Choyon, Press Secretary of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata. He attached an audio of Tarique Choyon's conversation with Azad Majumder as evidence with the post.

In a post on his verified Facebook page on Wednesday (May 6), journalist Saer said, "The press wing of the previous interim government used to directly and indirectly threaten various people at home and abroad, and there was a tendency among them to downplay the involvement of the current ruling party BNP in the mass uprising. I am presenting a proof of this today."

He said that this record of the conversation between Tarique Choyon, Press Secretary of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, and Azad Majumdar, Deputy Press Secretary of the former Chief Adviser, was recorded on July 19, 2025. Exactly a year before that, on July 19, 2024 (during the mass uprising), Choyon had sent news of BNP-Awami League clashes in different parts of Dhaka city to an international human rights activist via SMS (the internet was shut down at that time).

On July 19, 2025, Choyon posted screenshots of those texts on his Facebook account and shared his memories. Shortly after Choyon made this post, Azad Majumdar called him and said at one point, 'You wrote -BNP-Awami League clash- on Facebook! This was not a BNP movement."

Saer further said, "When Choyon was asked about this after receiving the record of the conversation, he was hesitant to say anything at first. However, at one point he admitted the matter and said that this was not the first time."

The previous month (on the night of June 22, 2025), he posted a picture of himself with BNP Standing Committee member (current Finance Minister) Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Facebook, and Azad Majumdar called him the next morning (June 23). He wanted an answer on why Tarique Choyon, being a government official, posted a picture with a BNP leader. Then Choyon asked him in return, "Didn't BNP participate in the mass uprising you are talking about? I myself have participated as a journalist, as a human rights activist, as a former central leader of Chhatra Dal."

In this regard, Tarique Choyon told Views Bangladesh that he later had to pay a big price for not deleting the picture with Amir Khasru.

He said, "The dishonest officers of the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata received unwritten instructions from the press wing in Dhaka to put me under pressure by not cooperating in all matters."

When contacted regarding this allegation, Azad Majumder said, "I have nothing to say in this regard."