Bangladesh will take legal action over the harassment of Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser to the former interim government, at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, a senior government adviser said Tuesday.
Zahed Ur Rahman, the prime minister's adviser on information and broadcasting, made the announcement at a regular press briefing at the Secretariat on the government's activities. He was responding to journalists' questions about the alleged harassment of Yunus, Prothom Alo English reported.
The case carries direct resonance for the large Bangladeshi diaspora in New York, where the confrontation unfolded and where expatriate supporters of the banned Awami League have been accused of carrying out the harassment.
What the JFK video shows
A video of the incident on Monday circulated widely on social media. It shows Yunus being taken out of JFK airport in a wheelchair as several people approach him and shout slogans, according to Prothom Alo English.
The protesters can be heard yelling "Why you come here?" and making other derogatory remarks directed at him.
Several expatriate supporters of the Awami League, whose activities have been banned in Bangladesh, have been accused of harassing Yunus, the outlet reported. The reason Yunus was in a wheelchair was not addressed in the report.
Bangladesh legal action over Yunus harassment
Zahed Ur Rahman said those responsible would face consequences, pointing to a precedent set weeks earlier in Europe.
"Of course, those committing this offence will face action. I am aware of the legal process initiated after our actress (Azmeri Haque Badhon) was harassed. The same will happen in this case," he said at the briefing, according to Prothom Alo English.
Actress Azmeri Haque Badhon was harassed in Italy last month, and a legal process was initiated afterward. The information adviser said the same legal process would be followed in Yunus's case.
He also addressed Awami League supporters living abroad directly. "I want to tell the Awami League goons living in different parts of the world that if they try to take such steps, they will not go unchallenged. There is no question of that," he said.
Protocol and dignity under review
Beyond the criminal question, the government will examine how Yunus was treated during his departure, Zahed Ur Rahman said.
The government would investigate whether Muhammad Yunus had received the protocol and dignity he was entitled to as a former chief adviser, the adviser told reporters, according to Prothom Alo English.
The briefing did not detail what that investigation would cover, who would conduct it, or when findings might be expected.
Awami League expatriate protesters and reconciliation
The accusations against expatriate Awami League supporters come as the party remains banned in Bangladesh. Asked about political reconciliation at the same briefing, Zahed Ur Rahman cited the lack of remorse among Awami League leaders and the threats they had made on various occasions, Prothom Alo English reported.
Against this backdrop, he said he personally saw virtually no possibility of reconciliation with the party.
What remains unknown
Zahed Ur Rahman did not specify what legal action would be taken, in which jurisdiction, or against which individuals. The legal process referenced in the Badhon case in Italy was cited as a model, but no details of its current status were provided at the briefing.
Whether anyone involved in the JFK incident has been identified or charged is unknown. The findings of the protocol investigation, and any consequences arising from it, have yet to be announced.