Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin has alleged that he was effectively kept under house arrest for about 18 months during the interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus, claiming he was denied freedom of movement and prevented from travelling abroad even for medical treatment. The remarks were made in an interview with Bangladeshi newspaper Kaler Kontho, in which the president described his treatment during the period as humiliating and unconstitutional.
Shahabuddin said that during the interim regime he was largely confined to Bangabhaban, the presidential residence, stating that conditions made it feel as though he was under house arrest. He alleged that restrictions imposed on him disrupted long-standing national traditions, including the president’s participation in Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha prayers at the National Eidgah Maidan — a practice followed by Bangladeshi presidents since independence. According to him, security officials informed him directly that he would not be permitted to attend the Eid prayers.
The president also claimed that he was denied permission to travel overseas for medical care despite prior treatment abroad. He said he had undergone bypass surgery at the National University Hospital in Singapore and later sought approval for a follow-up visit but was refused. Authorities instead suggested that doctors could be brought to Bangladesh if necessary. He further stated that a similar restriction was imposed when he sought to travel to a hospital in London for another medical appointment.
In the interview, Shahabuddin contrasted his situation with that of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, who he said undertook multiple foreign visits during the same period while the president himself remained unable to travel. He alleged that the restrictions were part of broader efforts to sideline him politically and pressure him into resigning so that the interim administration could appoint a preferred successor to the presidency.
Shahabuddin said he felt marginalised during Yunus’s tenure and previously expressed frustration in a December 2025 interview, where he indicated he had considered stepping down. He clarified that those remarks reflected resentment caused by what he described as mental pressure and humiliation rather than an actual intention to resign. He now maintains that he intends to remain in office until the completion of his term in 2028, unless he voluntarily chooses otherwise.
According to the president, the interim leadership sought to weaken him psychologically in order to facilitate constitutional changes and potentially prolong its hold on power. Muhammad Yunus assumed leadership of the interim administration on August 8, 2024, after mass protests led to the removal of then prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The allegations made by Shahabuddin represent one of the strongest criticisms yet of how the presidency was treated during that transitional period.
