`In a development that has triggered serious alarm within Indian intelligence and security establishments, a newly formed organisation named Saltanat-e-Bangla (SeM) — evoking the historical legacy of the medieval Bengal Sultanate — has come under scrutiny for allegedly advancing a secessionist agenda.
Intelligence sources have warned that SeM is not only reviving dangerous irredentist ideologies but also actively mobilising youth in Bangladesh, particularly students, to support the vision of a “Greater Bangladesh” — a radical concept that includes swathes of Indian territory.
In a brazen display of its intentions, SeM recently unveiled a map of ‘Greater Bangladesh’ at an event held inside the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) of Dhaka University in Shahbagh — a prestigious institution now reportedly hosting the temporary headquarters of the separatist group.
The controversial map incorporates not only the Arakan region of Myanmar but also large parts of Indian territory, including West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Tripura, Assam, and other northeastern states.
SeM derives its name from the Bengal Sultanate, an independent Muslim-ruled kingdom that existed between 1352 and 1538 CE, covering parts of present-day eastern India and Bangladesh. Indian intelligence officers have highlighted that the very name of the group is a symbolic declaration of its geopolitical aspirations — those that threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India and the region.
Sources have further revealed a disturbing connection to the interim Bangladeshi government, with intelligence agencies tracing funding links to Deena Afroz Yunus, daughter of Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government.
Deena is allegedly the main financier behind CSS-Bangladesh, an NGO headquartered in Beliaghata Upazila, which has been identified as a key logistical and recruitment hub for SeM’s sub-arm, Barawah-e-Bangal — tasked with recruiting and indoctrinating young cadres.
A senior Indian intelligence officer said, “The involvement of individuals so close to the Bangladeshi interim administration raises serious concerns about tacit state support or, at the very least, willful ignorance. The group's ideological roots and operational methods mirror those of previously outlawed Islamist organisations.”
This public act of provocation comes amid an increasingly permissive environment in Bangladesh following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's government last year.
Intelligence assessments indicate that, in the power vacuum, the country has witnessed the re-emergence of banned Islamist outfits, their public activities no longer restricted by law enforcement. Globally banned groups are reportedly being allowed to function freely, especially in urban centres like Dhaka.
Also read: Dhaka’s dangerous drift: A new frontline?
Extremism under the guise of NGOs
SeM’s operations are reportedly being facilitated under the banner of the Turkish Youth Federation, an NGO that allegedly provides ideological and financial support. Through its secondary branch, Barawah-e-Bangal, the group is recruiting impressionable youth to build a cadre network across Bangladesh, with the long-term goal of exporting its separatist ideology into India’s bordering states.
A Bangladeshi intelligence officer, speaking anonymously, warned: “SeM's emergence represents not just a regional security threat but a deeper ideological warfare being waged against democratic structures in South Asia. The symbolic resurrection of the medieval Saltanat is not a coincidence — it’s a blueprint for reviving an Islamist polity rooted in expansionism.”
The rise of SeM and its overt references to medieval Islamic rule come at a time when South Asia is already grappling with complex geopolitical shifts. For India, the threat is immediate and multifaceted — ranging from cross-border radicalisation and security breaches in the northeast to potential unrest in Muslim-majority regions being targeted for ideological subversion.
As intelligence agencies intensify surveillance and countermeasures, New Delhi is also expected to raise the issue with Bangladesh’s interim authorities through diplomatic channels. However, the complicity — or inaction — of influential political actors within Bangladesh could make this a prolonged and sensitive issue for bilateral ties.
With the spectre of historical revisionism now being weaponised to challenge modern-day borders, the emergence of SeM has opened a new and dangerous front in the struggle against extremism in South Asia.
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