New Delhi: Hours after the French embassy in Dhaka, in an unusual move, called out a ‘‘baseless and intellectually weak” allegation that France was supporting the Bangladesh government’s stance on minority persecution on social media, it deleted an X post that sparked the controversy.
It all began when the French embassy shared the Bangladesh government’s response to US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s remark expressing concern over Bangladesh’s alleged persecution of religious minorities.
The Bangladesh interim government expressed “deep concern and distress” over Gabbard’s remarks, stating that her comments were both “misleading and damaging” to the country’s image and reputation.
A former Indian Navy officer, Manoj Rawat, labelled the French embassy’s move as deeply concerning, and took to X to express his criticism.
“Deeply concerning that the French Embassy in Dhaka @FRauBangladesh is supporting the Yunus Government’s criticism of @TulsiGabbard’s statement on the genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh. The international community must acknowledge the plight of minority Hindus. It seems that the Indo-French Strategic Partnership is just a business arrangement for France to secure lucrative defence contracts from India,” he tweeted, going on to tag the MEA over what he called the “French mischief in the subcontinent”.
Deeply concerning that the French Embassy in Dhaka @FRauBangladesh is supporting the Yunus Government's criticism of @TulsiGabbard's statement on the genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh. The international community must acknowledge the plight of minority Hindus #JusticeForHindus… pic.twitter.com/fGHDxltzhR
— Manoj Rawat🇮🇳 (@SeaSkipper) March 18, 2025
In a move that took most by surprise, the French embassy in Dhaka was quick to respond to the allegations.
“How ridiculous, baseless and intellectually weak a statement,” it wrote in response to Rawat’s X post, tagging a group of Bangladeshi activists, including Kawsar Chowdhury, Mainul Haque, and Carmel Trish.
However, the post was soon deleted. The Bangladesh government’s statement remains on the embassy’s official Facebook page, though its X account makes no mention of it.
Carmel Trish, one of the Bangladeshis mentioned in the X post, thanked the French embassy for highlighting the “problematic statements”.
Trish called it “an industrial-scale misinformation and disinformation campaign against Bangladesh, aimed at discrediting the interim government, destabilising the country, and implicitly rehabilitating the image of Sheikh Hasina and her regime… by a certain country.”
Thank you for highlighting the problematic statements coming from accounts like @seaskipper. There is unfortunately an industrial scale misinformation and disinformation campaign against Bangladesh – aimed at discrediting the interim government, destabilizing the country, and… pic.twitter.com/AEHNkWh2un
— Trish Carmel (@carmel_trish) March 18, 2025
What the Bangladesh government said
Gabbard, a former US Congresswoman, during her visit to India this week, expressed concern over the treatment of religious minorities in Bangladesh, particularly Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians. She linked the situation to broader global concerns about “Islamist terrorism” and the rise of extremist ideologies aiming to establish an “Islamic Caliphate”.
“The long-time unfortunate persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and others has been a major area of concern for the US government and President Trump’s administration,” Gabbard told Indian media, adding that the United States was committed to defeating global terrorist groups and working alongside India to tackle the threat.
In response, Bangladesh’s interim government issued a statement: “Gabbard’s comments are not based on any evidence or specific allegations. They paint an entire nation with a broad and unjustified brush. Bangladesh, like many countries around the world, has faced challenges of extremism, but it has continuously worked in partnership with the international community, including the US, to address these issues through law enforcement, social reforms, and other counterterrorism efforts.”
It added, “Groundlessly linking Bangladesh to the idea of an ‘Islamist caliphate’ undermines the hard work of countless Bangladeshis and their friends and partners around the world who are committed to peace, stability, and progress. Bangladesh strongly condemns any efforts to link the country to any form of ‘Islamist caliphate’.”
The interim government also rebuked Gabbard for her statement, accusing her of “potentially even stoking sectarian tensions”.
“Political leaders and public figures should base their statements, especially about the most sensitive issues, on actual knowledge and take care not to reinforce harmful stereotypes, to fan fears, and potentially even stoke sectarian tensions,” it added.
France-Bangladesh relations
Meanwhile, the French ambassador to Bangladesh, Marie Masdupuy, reiterated France’s strong commitment to supporting democratic values, human rights, and essential reforms ahead of Bangladesh’s upcoming elections and political dialogue, in a meeting with officials earlier this month.
The remarks followed her meeting with leaders from various political parties in Bangladesh, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party), and Ganosamhati Andolon, to discuss these issues. The French embassy in Dhaka soon followed suit, highlighting France’s ongoing commitment to strengthening its relationship with Bangladesh and working together to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the broader Indo-Pacific region.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
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France has been an active participant in the planning and execution if the coup against Sheikh Hasina government. French agencies worked in cahoots with US agencies to implement the regime change in Bangladesh.
Ms. Hasina’s most vociferous critic, Mr. Pinaki Bhattacharya (a Bengali Brahmin), has been living in exile for long in Paris. It is from Paris that Mr. Bhattacharya has been relentlessly attacking Ms. Hasina’s administration. He is the most celebrated amongst all of Hasina’s detractors and has been vicious in his attacks on Hasina.
Why would the French host such a person in their capital and allow him to continue with his propaganda? Of course, there are ulterior motives here.
Mr. Pinaki Bhattacharya has been engaged in a disinformation campaign against India too. It’s quite obvious that the French have been backing the anti-Hasina elements for a long time.