Shama Obaed Reportedly Harassed in US in Front of Son

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam was reportedly confronted and verbally harassed at a hotel in New York in front of her son after a group of BNP activists failed to meet Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

The incident reportedly took place at the Grand Hyatt hotel in the early hours of Friday, Bangladesh time, during the Prime Minister’s visit to the United States.

According to a video cited in a report, several expatriate Bangladeshis were seen verbally abusing Shama Obaed, while someone was heard calling for her to be beaten. Her son reportedly approached the scene after hearing the commotion and was allegedly confronted by some of the activists.

Shama was reportedly inside a hotel lift at the time, while her family members were attempting to enter the same lift. As the situation escalated, her son approached the group and said, “This is my mother.” He was then allegedly pushed by someone.

A woman was also seen in the video allegedly pushing Shama’s son from behind towards the end of the incident.

The reported confrontation came amid frustration among some US-based BNP activists who had travelled to New York hoping to meet Tarique Rahman during his visit for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Only a limited number of senior leaders and activists were reportedly able to meet the Prime Minister amid security restrictions and overcrowding, leaving many others disappointed.

Some activists subsequently complained about coordination and organisation of the gathering, with several alleging favouritism and calling for those responsible to be held accountable.

The reported incident occurred against the backdrop of the gathering outside the Grand Hyatt, where hundreds of BNP activists from different US states had assembled to greet Tarique Rahman.