Arif Khan Joy says PM orders punitive actions against those who manhandled him in London

Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports Arif Khan Joy has said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered to take necessary punitive actions against those who manhandled him in London.

London Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 21 April 2018, 06:24 PM
Updated : 21 April 2018, 06:28 PM

"If we don't take measures against them, it will be difficult for the ministers to attend seminars and symposia abroad in future," Joy said at a press conference in London on Saturday.

"Legal actions should be taken at home and abroad through the high commission," he added.

The deputy minister was heckled by a group of protesters in front of Queen Elizabeth ll Conference Centre at the Westminster area on Wednesday.

The BNP’s UK unit has been staging demonstrations since Tuesday when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in London to join the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

A video posted on social media showed the minister was surrounded by a group of boisterous supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP while some others were trying to free him from the mob in front of the Barclays Bank at Westminster.

Police arrested two BNP supporters during the incident. However, the Awami League and BNP blamed each other for the incident.

At the press conference, responding to a question Joy said, "I was waiting outside the conference venue for the transport. A number of people approached me and started talking to me. At one stage, they started hurling abuse at me."

"Some people tried to rescue me. One of them called the police which then rescued him," the minister said.

"I got added support because the the Prime Minister was here in London,” he added.