Protesters Target Bangladesh Interim Govt Adviser’s Car in London

Sept 2025 : London police intervened on Friday after protesters hurled eggs at vehicles belonging to the Bangladesh High Commission and briefly attempted to block the path of Mahfuz Alam, adviser on information and broadcasting to Bangladesh’s interim government, outside SOAS-University of London.

According to reports, Alam was not inside the car that was struck. The Metropolitan Police acted promptly, dispersing the crowd and ensuring security. The Bangladesh High Commission confirmed that authorities were in constant contact and that Alam had been assured of “full security” during his official engagements.

The incident comes just weeks after Alam faced a similar attack in New York, where protesters disrupted an event at the Bangladesh Consulate General. Demonstrators reportedly pelted eggs and bottles, smashing glass doors. Following that attack, the Bangladesh mission had written to local authorities, including the U.S. State Department, demanding stronger protection.

Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser, strongly condemned the harassment in London. “There is no place for such conduct in any democracy that values reason over aggression and debate over hooliganism,” he said. He reiterated that violence and intimidation cannot be equated with freedom of expression. “As we said after the attack in New York, violence is not protest; intimidation is not freedom of expression. These words apply with full force in London as they did in New York.”

While government representatives denounced the attacks, political developments back home highlighted the shifting balance of power. Candidates backed by Islami Chhatra Shibir, under the Oikobodho Shikkharti Jote (United Students Alliance) banner, swept the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) elections, securing nine of the 15 key positions.

Among the major victories, Shibir leader Abu Sadiq Kayam won the vice president post with 14,042 votes, defeating BNP student wing leader Abidul Islam Khan, who garnered 5,708. The group also captured the positions of general secretary and assistant general secretary.

The win marks a dramatic resurgence for Shibir. Once sidelined during the Awami League’s rule, the student group re-emerged in public last September following the mass uprising in July that toppled the Awami League government. In less than a year, it has consolidated its influence with a commanding victory in student politics, underscoring the fast-changing political landscape in Bangladesh.