Latest news with #Badhon
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Badhon refutes conspiracy theories claiming she is a RAW agent, takes to social media
Azmeri Haque Badhon Bangladeshi actress Azmeri Haque Badhon is the latest in a series of public figures accused of being a RAW agent. The controversy started after her Facebook post on May 24 calling for national elections and equal rights for all. The post sparked fresh conspiracy theories, including allegations of her links to India's intelligence agency. In a social media post that went viral, Badhon described how these allegations have followed her over the years. In 2021, she was labelled a RAW agent after her role in Vishal Bhardwaj's film Khufiya . The Facebook post reads: 'I wasn't even allowed to attend the film's premiere. Why? Because the Indian High Commission rejected my visa — not once, but five times. During two of my interviews with them, they seemed very concerned about a photo I had posted on social media — a picture with VP Noor at a US Embassy program.' She also wrote about how the labels changed over time. During the July uprisings in Bangladesh, she was accused of being a CIA agent. She was later called a Jamaat agent for sharing a video of a party leader and was even labelled a Mossad operative. In her post, Badhon also pointed out how quickly these labels emerge. She said such rumours are often spread by those unwilling to accept criticism or those who refuse to believe that someone might genuinely want change. Despite these accusations, Badhon remains vocal about her views.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
B'desh actor Badhon latest to be branded RAW agent, falls foul of anti-India squad
Kolkata: Bangladeshi actor Azmeri Haque Badhon is the latest celebrity to be accused of being a RAW agent in her country. Badhon's Sunday Facebook post, which offered a scathing commentary on how quickly public perception, and sometimes diplomatic scrutiny, could spiral into absurdity, went viral. Many cultural activists in Bangladesh have been branded RAW agents, including director Nasir Uddin Yousuff. But Yousuff declined to comment. "Journalist Subir Bhaumik, journalist and columnist Abed Khan, writer, historian, scholar and professor at the University of Dhaka Muntasir Mamoon, journalist, film-maker, human rights activist, war crimes researcher Shahriyar Kabir, author, physicist, academic, activist, former professor of computer science and engineering Zafor Iqbal and Muktijoddha major (retired) Shamsul Arefin have faced such conspiracy theories," said a source. Former BBC journalist Subir Bhaumik, who worked in Bangladesh, told TOI that anybody "not aligning with the agenda of those whose politics is anchored on India-bashing" is branded a RAW agent. "When they cannot counter arguments, they brand the person as a RAW agent. I was branded a RAW agent when I worked as senior editor in after retiring from BBC. I have a chapter in my book, detailing RAW's involvement in Chittagong Hill Tracts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo Can a person be a RAW agent after exposing its operation? I think these allegations are so cheap and baseless that none should take them seriously," Bhaumik said. Badhon said that her Facebook post on May 24, seeking national elections at the earliest, started off the conspiracy theory. "I will vote for the party that ensures equal inheritance rights for all. It's time we move toward a more just, equitable, and inclusive society—one that guarantees fairness and opportunity, and becomes the best country for all its citizens," the post read. On Monday, the actor told TOI, she was first branded a RAW agent after her role in Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Khufiya'. "When they understood I was not a RAW agent in real life, they changed track and spread conspiracy theories of me being an ISI, CIA and Mossad agent. But they saw that I was demanding elections in Bangladesh. India, too, wants that and so does the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). So, they merged the three and started spreading that I am again working as a RAW agent," Badhon said. A section has also mentioned that this allegation against Badhon had been deliberately spread by "the ISI-backed intelligentsia and their publicity wing". She said, "It is so absurd. A rumour is always a rumour." Badhon has had issues getting Indian visa in the past. On being asked if those spreading conspiracy theories didn't know about her Indian visa rejection, she said, "Most of these people who spread rumours are paid for doing so. If they were sensible human beings, they would have behaved differently. Instead, they troll mindlessly, without corroborating facts. That is because I don't follow the prototype of a heroine and ask questions. That's why women, and even some within my industry, don't like me and spread such theories."
