Hasina's bullets couldn't scare us, eggs don't make a difference: Akhter Hossain

Reacting to the incident of a Jubo League leader hurling eggs at him at the airport in New York, member secretary of National Citizen Party (NCP), Akhter Hossain, said, "We are of the generation that were not scared of facing Hasina's bullets. So eggs hurled at us make no difference. This incident proves once again that Awami League is a terrorist organisation. Awami League is inherently and by nature, a terrorist organisation. They resort to violence."

Akhter Hossain was speaking on a video posted on NCP's Diaspora Alliance Facebook page. He made similar statements on his own Faebook account. It has been verified that the account is his own.

Akhtar Hossain said, “Today at the airport, Awami League came up roaring, hurling vile abuse, especially directed at Tasnim Jara (joint convener of NCP). This is the true character of the Awami League.”

In the video, Akhtar said, “When the people of Bangladesh who aspire for independence, the forces who stood with the July uprising, are attacked like this, we are not surprised. In this one year, the process the interim government was supposed to begin to bring Awami League under trial, has progressed very little. Awami League’s terrorists, who have fled the country, are carrying out terrorism in different places abroad."

Akhtar Hossain called on the government to bring back the Awami League and their accomplices who are carrying out acts of terrorism at home and abroad, and bring them to justice.

He arrived in New York as part of the delegation accompanying Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the interim government, to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Eyewitnesses reported that after arriving at John F Kennedy International Airport, Jubo League leader Mizanur Rahman threw an egg at Akhtar Hossain, member secretary of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP).

In response, the NCP Diaspora Alliance issued a statement saying that the incident is not just an expression of political violence but also an example of the state’s failure in diplomatic protocol and security arrangements. The alliance questioned the rationale for the existence of Bangladeshi consulates and embassies abroad if participants in official government visits cannot receive even minimal security. They also raised concerns about whose interests the Bangladeshi consulates and embassies are serving and whether effective measures are being taken against such criminals.

The NCP Diaspora Alliance further stated that during the attack on Akhtar Hossain and NCP senior joint secretary Tasnim Jara, other leaders including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were also present. While others were caught in the crossfire of Awami League militants, the main targets of the attack were primarily NCP leaders.

The alliance added that those who risked their lives during the July uprising are still being targeted in retaliatory attacks. Akhtar Hossain continues to pay the price for his struggle and this, they say, is a severe failure of the interim government.

The statement outlined three demands, highlighting the government and the foreign ministry’s failure to ensure the safety of individuals on official state visits. These were, the Bangladesh government must directly lodge complaints with the US federal authorities and the relevant authorities and law enforcement agencies of New York City; the entire team of the Bangladesh consulate general in New York must be immediately dismissed; and, maximum security must be ensured for the visiting leaders.

Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of the Gana Sanghati Andolan, and Abul Hasan Rubel, executive coordinator, in a joint statement condemned the egg-throwing incident against Akhtar Hossain.

The joint statement said that during a US visit, the security of the Chief Adviser, as well as the accompanying delegation, was supposed to be ensured. However, the attack demonstrates that they failed to provide security for the visiting political leaders.

The Gana Sanghati leaders stated that incidents like this show that Awami League maintains its oppressive character. They added that it is also necessary to examine what role different parts of the government, particularly the bureaucracy, which has retained fascist collaborators without any reform, played in enabling such incidents.