Shamim Osman, the Awami League MP representing Naryanaganj-4, a well-known name in Bangladesh's politics, was recently in the limelight again following an incident in New York.
A group of Bangladeshi expatriate BNP leaders based in New York confronted Shamim when he went to Little Bangladesh, Jackson Heights in New York, in the evening last Wednesday..
A video of the incident made the rounds on social media. In the clip, lawmaker Shamim, US BNP member Badal Mirza, New York State BNP Joint Convener Riaz Mahmud and some BNP supporters are seen having a conversation.
The footage shows that when Shamim Osman arrived at the spot, the BNP leaders and their followers shouted slogans like “fake, fake, fake."
While talking to Dhaka Tribune about the video recently, Shamim Osman said: “I went there with a young person who drove me there. All of a sudden I saw from the car that a group of people were shouting slogans against our party.
"At first I ignored it, but when they made negative remarks about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, I got out of the car and asked them what their motive was.
"Then I told them, 'Here in New York, all of you are representing your country, Bangladesh, and your families. Your activities show who you are. Do not damage the reputation of your country.'”
When they threatened him, the lawmaker in the video clip is heard saying: "Remember, my name is Shamim Osman."
After the video went viral on social media, a group of people attacked Badal Mirza's home in Sonaimuri upazila, Noakhali.
When asked about the attack, Shamim Osman told Dhaka Tribune: “I am an MP from Naryanganj, which neighbours the capital Dhaka. How can I be blamed for an attack in Noakhali, which is a remote district in Chittagong division, far away from Naryanganj?
“In fact, some of my supporters in Naryanganj became angry at the opposition BNP after watching the video which was recorded and spread by BNP men, but I calmed them down by telling them we, the leaders of the Awami League, do not believe in violence. We want peace and democracy in Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“'Now that the video has gone viral, the people will decide which party believes in what practices. While the Awami League is governing and developing the country, the BNP is engaging in criminal activities even on the streets of the US,' I told my supporters in Bangladesh from New York."
When asked about the Noakhali incident, the MP said he had no idea about the people who had carried out the attack, adding that he condemned such attacks on anyone's property.
"I admit they misbehaved with me in New York while I was there for treatment, but that does not mean that my supporters attacked their home in Noakhali. It could be a ploy of the BNP aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the Bangladesh government and the ruling party. As a lawmaker of Bangladesh, I always want a peaceful environment across the country.”
Meanwhile, when asked about the attack, Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the US State Department, said at a briefing on Monday that violence had no place in any democracy.