A small group of political activists hurled eggs at the residence of Zahid Hasan, a New York-based Awami League leader, in the courtyard of his house in Naria upazila, Shariatpur, as a retaliatory move against a similar attack on Nationalist Citizen Party (NCP) leaders in New York.
Zahid Hasan, who serves as the science and technology affairs secretary of the Awami League’s US chapter, was targeted after Awami League supporters allegedly attacked NCP leader Akhtar Hossain and verbally abused another NCP leader, Tasnim Zara, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday.
On Tuesday evening, NCP activists gathered in Telipara village of Chamta union and staged a demonstration. The protest, led by NCP district coordinator Ruhul Amin, culminated in the egg-throwing incident at Hasan’s residence around 7 p.m.
Ruhul Amin accused the Awami League leaders of conspiring abroad to cover up their wrongdoings and said the attacks in New York on political figures such as Muhammad Yunus, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and Akhtar Hossain had tarnished the country’s image. “We held a peaceful protest in response and will announce further programmes on Wednesday,” he added.
Imran Al Nazir, former convener of the Shariatpur unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said that local students and residents expressed their anger by throwing eggs at Zahid Hasan’s home. “Through Zahid, many Awami League leaders have laundered money abroad. They must be socially resisted,” he said.
Additional police were deployed to maintain order. Naria Circle Additional Superintendent of Police Ashiq Mahmud confirmed officers arrived promptly after receiving reports and said, “The situation is now under control.”
This unrest follows the incident at New York’s JFK Airport, where eggs were thrown at NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossain, accompanied by offensive remarks directed at senior joint member secretary Tasnim Zara. Zahid Hasan of the Awami League’s US chapter has been implicated in orchestrating the attack.
