A radical Islamic group, Saltanat-e-Bangla, backed by Turkey’s Turkish Youth Federation, has released a controversial map of “Greater Bangladesh” including parts of India. India’s External Affairs Ministry has raised concerns over the group’s activities, its ties to Dhaka University, and its connections to Bangladesh’s interim government.
The Indian government has officially taken note of a controversial development in neighboring Bangladesh involving an Islamist group, Saltanat-e-Bangla, which recently unveiled a provocative map of “Greater Bangladesh.” This map incorporates large portions of Indian territory, raising significant alarm among Indian intelligence and diplomatic circles.
The matter came to light through a written response by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar in the Rajya Sabha, following a starred question raised by Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala. According to the minister, the Saltanat-e-Bangla group is being actively supported by a Turkish non-governmental organization, the Turkish Youth Federation.
The group, which claims to revive the spirit of the medieval Bengal Sultanate, unveiled the so-called “Greater Bangladesh” map earlier this year during an event at the Teacher-Student Centre of Dhaka University in Shahbagh. Once considered a bastion of liberal and intellectual thought, the university campus is now serving as the temporary headquarters of this radical separatist group.
Radical Ideology and Historical Justification
The Saltanat-e-Bangla derives its name and inspiration from the historical Bengal Sultanate, a Muslim-ruled independent kingdom that existed from 1352 to 1538 CE. The group seeks to evoke this medieval legacy to justify its current irredentist ambitions.
The released map includes the Arakan region of Myanmar and vast areas of India — including West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and several other northeastern states — as part of a future “Greater Bangladesh.”
According to sources in the Indian Intelligence Bureau (IB), the group is systematically targeting youth in Bangladesh by promoting radical ideologies and exploiting nationalist sentiments. It is attempting to mobilize and indoctrinate those who feel historically and culturally connected to the notion of a unified Greater Bangladesh.
Link to Bangladesh’s Interim Government
What makes the situation more sensitive is the alleged proximity of Saltanat-e-Bangla to the interim government in Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus. Indian intelligence sources have flagged that Deena Afroz Yunus, daughter of Muhammad Yunus, is playing a crucial role in funding and facilitating the group’s activities.
She has been linked to CSS-Bangladesh, an NGO based in Beliaghata Upazila. This organization reportedly functions as the logistics and recruitment hub for the outfit’s armed and ideological wing, Barawah-e-Bangal, which is primarily responsible for recruiting and indoctrinating young people.
Foreign Involvement: Turkey and Pakistan
The Turkish Youth Federation, a Turkey-based NGO, has been identified as a key supporter of the group. The federation is said to provide both financial aid and ideological direction to Saltanat-e-Bangla, suggesting a growing nexus between radical Islamist elements in South Asia and foreign actors.
The rise of this group also coincides with growing instability in Bangladesh. Under the Yunus-led interim regime, radical groups such as the Jamaat-e-Islami have regained influence. The ban on the group, previously enforced, has been lifted. Several of its members now hold influential positions in the interim administration.
Additionally, India’s intelligence agencies are closely watching increasing ties between Bangladesh and Pakistan under Yunus’s leadership. Islamabad now enjoys eased visa norms and improved maritime access, which Indian officials fear could facilitate deeper collaboration between radical elements in both countries.
India’s Strategic Response
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has responded firmly to the emerging threat. “The Government has taken note of reports that an Islamist group in Dhaka called the ‘Saltanat-e-Bangla’, backed by a Turkish NGO called the ‘Turkish Youth Federation’, has put out a map of the so-called ‘Greater Bangladesh’ that includes parts of India. The map was displayed in the Dhaka University,” said an official MEA statement.
Intelligence and security agencies are currently working to assess the full extent of the group’s network, its funding sources, and potential threat levels to national security.
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This development adds to growing concerns about cross-border radicalization and the use of soft infrastructure such as universities and NGOs for subversive political agendas. With regional stability at stake, New Delhi is expected to increase diplomatic pressure on Dhaka while enhancing counter-intelligence operations to curb any spillover effects into India.
