BNP vandalise Bangladesh High Commission office in London

A group of Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) UK wing activists staged demonstrations and vandalised the office of Bangladesh High Commission in London on Wednesday, a day before a Dhaka court is to deliver judgement in a graft case against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.

They damaged the portrait of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and broke a chair.

Before the police rushed to the scene and took control of the situation, the BNP agitators created chaos at the high commission reception and called the high commission officials names, according to the officials.

Earlier in the afternoon, the BNP activists called for a demonstration before the high commission office condemning the pending Zia Orphanage Trust graft case verdict in Bangladesh. Around two hundred demonstrators took part in a two-hour agitation.

London city BNP executive member Delwar Hossain said, ''The government wants to imprison our leader Khaleda Zia by force and we have gathered to give them a warning.''

A high commission official sought anonymity to share that the BNP agitators had assaulted high commission officer Shamim Reza when he tried to appease them and added that, one of the BNP activists was allowed to enter the office with their memorandum, but more than 15 of them entered ignoring the police there.

The official also said, though the diplomatic police were informed, security was inadequate. The local metropolitan police commander also apologised, assuring that proper steps would be taken.

The UK BNP chief M AMalek claimed, ''We were demonstrating peacefully, but the high commission officials tried to take pictures of us and threatened us. They didn't allow us to submit the memorandum either.''  He said the BNP men would continue with their agitation till Khaleda Zia's verdict been carried out on Thursday.

The London metropolitan police public relations section said, they arrested UK Sechchasebok League chief Nasir Ahmed in connection with the incident and investigations were being carried out.