A Chhatra League leader was injured when a BNP activist hit him in the face during a protest in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York against the visit of Muhammad Yunus.
New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers intervened immediately and handcuffed Riaz Rahman Hossain from the back by forcing him to lie on the street. They later took him to the police station. Riaz is a member of the US unit of BNP.
Hridoy Mia, a contender for the post of president of BCL’s US unit, suffered injuries in the attack and was admitted to a Manhattan hospital, according to a Prothom Alo report.
The incident occurred around 2:30pm (NY Time) on Friday.
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Speaking from the hospital, Hridoy told Prothom Alo that after their protest programme ended, he was walking home when a youth approached and started hurling abuse at him and at the Awami League. “I told him I did not know him and asked why he was cursing me. Then, suddenly, he punched me on my head, neck and face. I fell to the ground, and nearby police caught both of us. Later, another officer said Riaz hit me first. Then the police released me and took me to the hospital.”
US BNP Senior Vice-President and Central Executive member Gias Ahmed told Prothom Alo that Riaz was their activist. “I went to the police station and spoke. I hope he will be released soon,” he said.
However, he claimed the clash was triggered by Hridoy’s earlier verbal abuse of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the airport. “Riaz beat him up in anger and broke two of his teeth. Chhatra League activists had come to disrupt our programme, which is why he was beaten,” Gias added.
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