BNP, AL hold rallies, chant slogans in New York ahead of Chief Adviser’s arrival

Tension has mounted in Jackson Heights, New York’s Bangladeshi enclave, ahead of the arrival of Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government.

Muhammad Yunus left Dhaka late on Sunday night to attend the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, and is scheduled to arrive in New York on Monday afternoon local time.

Activists and supporters of both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Awami League (AL) gathered face-to-face in Jackson Heights, on Sunday evening (21 September), local time.

Both parties staged simultaneous rallies, chanting slogans and counter-slogans as they marched through the streets, leaving the neighbourhood tense and charged in the Diversity Plaza area of Jackson Heights.

By around 10:00 pm, matters escalated further when an Awami League activist and anti-Awami League video blogger Masudur Rahman lodged complaints against each other with the police.

Within five minutes, two police units, each with at least 10 officers, arrived on the scene.

Law enforcement eventually dispersed BNP and Awami League supporters, as well as bystanders, restoring order. No arrests have so far been reported.

Mhammad Yunus and his delegation are expected to land at JFK Airport at 2:30 pm on Monday (local time).

Both BNP and Awami League leaders and activists have announced plans to gather at the airport to mark his arrival.