Leaders and activists of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) have been accused of harassing journalists at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Thursday morning.
The incident occurred around 9:45am in front of the airport’s VIP gate, prompting journalists to boycott a scheduled NCP press conference in protest.
A photojournalist present at the scene said, “BNP leader Humayun Kabir was briefing the media at the VIP gate when NCP activists began chanting slogans loudly. A journalist from Star News requested them to lower their voices, but the NCP activists then confronted and harassed the media personnel. In protest, journalists walked out of the NCP press conference. I also left. We demand proper justice for this incident.”
Earlier in the day, Chief Adviser Prof. Muhammad Yunus returned to Dhaka after attending the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. He was accompanied on the trip by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP’s acting chairman’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, NCP Member-Secretary Akhtar Hossain, and Joint Convener Tasnim Jara.
NCP’s Dhaka North City leaders and activists had gathered at the airport around 8:45am to welcome their party leaders, while journalists had been invited by the party the night before to cover the event.
NCP’s Joint Member-Secretary (Media) Mushfiq-us-Salehin said, “We have already spoken to the Star News journalist concerned, and Akhtar Bhai also talked to him. On behalf of the party, we have expressed regret to him and the other journalists present. A worker acted out of misunderstanding, and once his identity is confirmed, we will take organizational action.”
