NCP and BNP leaders attacked in New York, ‘Shibir leader Maruf’ provided protection — Social media claims

It has been alleged that National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Akhtar Hossain, female leader Zara and BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were attacked at a political meeting of expatriate Bangladeshis in New York. The incident began at an event in New York City on September 23, 2025, where the entire event was thrown into disarray due to the sudden throwing of eggs and abusive behavior by some individuals.

Eyewitnesses and expatriate BNP supporters claim that some Awami League-backed activists based in the United States were behind the attack. They say that the attack was planned to disrupt the BNP and NCP’s tour and to mentally terrorize the leaders. During the attack, Mirza Fakhrul and other leaders felt insecure and some leaders have also commented that if the situation was not brought under control quickly, a major disaster could have occurred.

A controversial part of the incident is that a person named “Maruf” is claimed to have been present at the scene, who, according to social media, is the former president of the Islami Chhatra Shibir of Sylhet Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Shubiprob). Various Facebook posts and comments say that Maruf played a role in controlling the situation during the attack and helped evacuate the leaders who were attacked to safety. However, this information has not been verified or confirmed by any recognized media outlet so far. As a result, doubts still remain about the presence or role of ‘camp leader Maruf’.

After the incident, both the BNP and the NCP parties strongly condemned the attack. They urged the US government to investigate the incident and take legal action against the culprits. Analysts also opined that such political violence is causing concern among Bangladeshis abroad and tarnishing the country’s image.

In the wake of this incident, renewed tension has arisen between political organizations based in Bangladesh and the United States. The incident is also being criticized in the diaspora as an 'export' of political division and conflict in Bangladesh. On the other hand, videos and pictures of the attack have already gone viral on social media, which is causing debate and disagreement.