Leaders and activists of the National Citizen Party (NCP) allegedly misbehaved with journalists at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka on Thursday morning.
The incident took place around 9:45am at the VIP gate of the airport. At the time, NCP Member Secretary Akhter Hossain and Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Jara, who had just returned from a trip to the United States, had not yet arrived.
Journalists boycotted the press conference of the two leaders in protest against the incident.
BNP acting Chairman Tarique Rahman's foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir was speaking to the press after returning from the USA when a group of NCP activists, waiting with flowers to greet Akhter Hossen and Tasnim Jara, began chanting slogans - "Inquilab, Inquilab, Zindabad, Zindabad."
Their loud chanting disrupted Humayun Kabir's remarks, making it difficult for reporters to hear. When a journalist requested them to stop briefly, some activists allegedly misbehaved with media persons.
Following the altercation, reporters announced a boycott of the NCP press conference scheduled at the airport.
A video circulating on social media shows journalists walking out after announcing the boycott, while NCP leaders pleaded with them not to leave. However, angry reporters criticised the activists' behaviour and rejected the appeals.
Later, in a statement, the NCP said allegations of misconduct by its leaders and activists against journalists were "regrettable and condemnable." The party added that the matter is being investigated, and organisational action will be taken against those found responsible.
Earlier, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus left Dhaka for New York on September 22 to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
He and his entourage, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher and Mohammad Nakibur Rahman, and NCP leaders Akhter Hossen and Tasnim Jara, returned on Thursday morning.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com
