NCP leaders, activists accused of misconduct, journos boycott Akhter–Jara’s press conference at airport

Leaders and activists of the National Citizen Party (NCP) have allegedly misbehaved with newspersons at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

In protest, journalists boycotted the press conference of NCP member secretary Akhter Hossen and senior joint member secretary Tasnim Jara, who returned from a trip to the United States.

The incident took place around 9:45 am today, Thursday, at the VIP gate of the airport.

At the time of the altercation, Akhter Hossen and Tasnim Jara had not yet arrived at the spot.

Later, in a statement issued by the NCP, the party said that allegations of misconduct by its leaders and activists against journalists are both regrettable and condemnable.

The party added that the matter is being investigated, and an attempt is on to identify those responsible.

It also said that organisational action will be taken against them if proven.

Chief Adviser to the interim government Professor Muhammad Yunus left Dhaka for New York on 22 September to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

After a nine-day trip, the Chief Adviser and his entourage returned to Dhaka at 9:00 am today.

Among the political leaders accompanying the chief adviser were 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 Mohammad Taher and member Mohammad Nakibur Rahman, as well as NCP’s member secretary Akhter Hossen and senior joint member secretary Tasnim Jara.

A witness journalist at the airport told Prothom Alo that BNP leader Tarique Rahman’s foreign affairs adviser Humayun Kabir was speaking to the press at the VIP gate.

At that moment, a group of NCP activists, who were 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 journalists to hear him. When a journalist requested the NCP activists to stop chanting slogans for some time, some of them misbehaved with journalists.

Following the altercation, reporters announced that they would boycott the press conference of NCP leaders Akhtar Hossen and Tasnim Jara scheduled at the airport.

A video circulating on social media shows journalists walking out after announcing the boycott. In the footage, several NCP leaders are seen pleading with the journalists not to boycott the press conference. Many angry journalists, however, criticised the activists’ behaviour.

A NCP leader was heard telling reporters, “Please don’t judge everyone for the actions of a few people.”

But the journalists refused to respond to the appeal. One of them replied, “We’re leaving this time. There have been plenty of space now — you go ahead with your rally.”

Ignoring repeated requests from NCP leaders, the journalists walked away.