AL-BNP clash foils London confce
Sunday, 18 July 2010
LONDON, July 17 (bdnews24.com): A high-profile conference on Bangladesh in London descended into an unruly scrimmage Friday as supporters of ruling Awami League (AL) and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) clashed.
It was abandoned within minutes of opening of the conference as the two groups were locked in clash, leaving at least five people, including the joint general secretary of pro-government Jubo League's London unit injured.
International Bangladesh Foundation organised the conference on 'Human rights, democracy and role of political parties in Bangladesh' at the prestigious London School of Economics.
Lord Avebury, vice-chair of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group and Anne Main, chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group for Bangladesh, were supposed to attend the conference but did not turn up.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's economic affairs adviser Moshiur Rahman, state minister for women and children affairs Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, Amnesty International's Bangladesh researcher Abbas Faiz, journalist Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, former ministers Abdul Matin Khosru and Abdul Moyeen Khan, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, and BNP chairperson's adviser Shaukat Mahmood were the discussants.
But none of them could address it.
The two parties, however, blamed each other in separate press conferences for the brawl.
The UK AL joint general secretary Syed Faruk and the UK Juba League president Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury told the news agency that at least seven people were injured.
It was abandoned within minutes of opening of the conference as the two groups were locked in clash, leaving at least five people, including the joint general secretary of pro-government Jubo League's London unit injured.
International Bangladesh Foundation organised the conference on 'Human rights, democracy and role of political parties in Bangladesh' at the prestigious London School of Economics.
Lord Avebury, vice-chair of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group and Anne Main, chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group for Bangladesh, were supposed to attend the conference but did not turn up.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's economic affairs adviser Moshiur Rahman, state minister for women and children affairs Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, Amnesty International's Bangladesh researcher Abbas Faiz, journalist Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, former ministers Abdul Matin Khosru and Abdul Moyeen Khan, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, and BNP chairperson's adviser Shaukat Mahmood were the discussants.
But none of them could address it.
The two parties, however, blamed each other in separate press conferences for the brawl.
The UK AL joint general secretary Syed Faruk and the UK Juba League president Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury told the news agency that at least seven people were injured.