Sunday, 14 September, 2025
Nahid Islam, convenor of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and a prominent voice of the July Uprising, has accused Nepal’s interim government and its advisers of tacitly endorsing a series of attacks on Mahfuj Alam, one of the uprising’s most influential figures.
In a strongly worded Facebook post on Saturday, Nahid condemned what he described as the government’s “conspicuous silence” over repeated attacks targeting Mahfuj abroad — most recently in London on Friday and earlier in August in New York — warning that this silence amounted to “political complicity”.
“We are keeping track of these actions. There will be a political response,” Nahid wrote, adding that those “silently approving the attacks on Mahfuj will also suffer”.
Friday’s incident took place outside the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, where Mahfuj had been due to speak at a seminar on the July Uprising’s impact on South Asian politics. Witnesses said a group of unidentified men hurled eggs at Mahfuj’s car as he arrived at the venue. Security personnel quickly moved him inside the building, and the event went ahead under heightened security.
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed they were reviewing CCTV footage and investigating the incident as a case of harassment. No arrests had been reported as of Saturday evening.
The attack follows an earlier incident on 24 August in New York, when exiled members of the Awami League allegedly threw eggs and a water bottle at Mahfuj during a gathering marking the anniversary of the July Uprising. Footage of that attack went viral on social media, provoking outrage among Mahfuj’s supporters and condemnation from international human rights groups.
Nahid, who previously served as an information adviser to the government, accused the interim administration of “deliberate inaction”, warning that such silence could embolden further attacks on dissidents. “The silence within the interim government and advisers regarding Mahfuj’s mistreatment and attacks has created tacit approval of his suffering and potential death,” he said.
Mahfuj, a key strategist and public face of the July Uprising that forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, has been living abroad since early August citing credible threats to his life. His supporters argue that these attacks are part of a coordinated campaign to intimidate and silence him.
Analysts warn that the government’s failure to respond could carry significant political consequences, particularly among younger activists who regard Mahfuj as a symbol of their movement. “Failure to condemn or investigate these attacks risks alienating the very generation that drove the change in Nepal’s politics,” said political analyst Sunil Khadka. “It creates a perception that the state is either powerless or complicit.”
Meanwhile, the interim government has condemned attempted attack on Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuj Alam in London.
On 12 September 2025, as Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuz Alam left a SOAS-University of London programme marking the first anniversary of Bangladesh’s July uprising, a group of demonstrators threw eggs at Bangladesh High Commission vehicles and briefly tried to block their path.
London’s Metropolitan Police intervened effectively; reports indicate Mr Alam was not in the cars struck, said a statement issued by the Chief Adviser's Press Wing today.
The Bangladesh High Commission in London said police were in constant contact and assured “full security” for the Adviser during his engagements.
The incident in London follows an attack on Mahfuj Alam a couple of weeks ago while he was on government business in New York.
During an event at Bangladesh’s Consulate General, protesters threw eggs (and, per multiple accounts, bottles) and smashed glass doors; the mission subsequently wrote to local authorities, including the State Department’s local office, seeking action, the statement said.
Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam publicly condemned the attempted harassment.
"The government condemns this latest attack with the same conviction that our government, the people of Bangladesh and the authorities of both host countries stand on the side of civilised values while the thugs inhabit the world of barbarism and bullying," the statement read.
This pattern of conduct has no place in any democracy that values argument over aggression and debate over thuggery. "As we said after the attack in New York, violence is not protest; intimidation is not free speech. Those words apply with full force in London as they did in New York."
"We reaffirm the principle we asserted after the New York incident: fundamental freedoms of speech, assembly and peaceful protest are cornerstones of democracy - but they must be exercised with responsibility and respect," the statement said.
Targeting consular vehicles and attempting to obstruct them is not only reckless, it offends the norms that safeguard dialogue between nations.
Bangladesh acknowledges the Metropolitan Police response and urges continued coordination to identify offenders and pursue appropriate charges.
"To those who organised or abetted this behaviour: grow up. If you believe in your cause, make your case - peacefully, lawfully, and with dignity. Eggs, fists and mob theatrics persuade no one; they merely prove to the world that you have no argument left," the statement read.
To universities, venues and the diaspora: stand firm for civil discourse. Host the difficult conversations, but insist on conduct that protects speakers, audiences and lawful protesters alike. The measure of a movement is not how loudly it shouts or how violently it acts, but the discipline, dignity and responsibility it upholds.
The Bangladesh government called on the Metropolitan Police to complete a full investigation, using available footage to identify individuals who committed offences (vandalism, assault, obstruction) and bring them to justice, the statement said.
It also urged political leaders and community organisers to publicly and unequivocally repudiate violence and intimidation in the diaspora, whatever their factional loyalties.
The government calls for affirming the right to peaceful protest - and the equal right of officials, students and citizens to speak and assemble without fear. "Democracy demands passion; it also demands self control.
"The cause of Bangladesh’s evolution as a democracy that protects all citizens’ security and dignity requires both," the statement added.
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Nahid Islam, convenor of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and a prominent voice of the July Uprising, has accused Nepal’s interim government and its advisers of tacitly endorsing a series of attacks on Mahfuj Alam, one of the uprising’s most influential figures.
In a strongly worded Facebook post on Saturday, Nahid condemned what he described as the government’s “conspicuous silence” over repeated attacks targeting Mahfuj abroad — most recently in London on Friday and earlier in August in New York — warning that this silence amounted to “political complicity”.
“We are keeping track of these actions. There will be a political response,” Nahid wrote, adding that those “silently approving the attacks on Mahfuj will also suffer”.
Friday’s incident took place outside the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, where Mahfuj had been due to speak at a seminar on the July Uprising’s impact on South Asian politics. Witnesses said a group of unidentified men hurled eggs at Mahfuj’s car as he arrived at the venue. Security personnel quickly moved him inside the building, and the event went ahead under heightened security.
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed they were reviewing CCTV footage and investigating the incident as a case of harassment. No arrests had been reported as of Saturday evening.
The attack follows an earlier incident on 24 August in New York, when exiled members of the Awami League allegedly threw eggs and a water bottle at Mahfuj during a gathering marking the anniversary of the July Uprising. Footage of that attack went viral on social media, provoking outrage among Mahfuj’s supporters and condemnation from international human rights groups.
Nahid, who previously served as an information adviser to the government, accused the interim administration of “deliberate inaction”, warning that such silence could embolden further attacks on dissidents. “The silence within the interim government and advisers regarding Mahfuj’s mistreatment and attacks has created tacit approval of his suffering and potential death,” he said.
Mahfuj, a key strategist and public face of the July Uprising that forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, has been living abroad since early August citing credible threats to his life. His supporters argue that these attacks are part of a coordinated campaign to intimidate and silence him.
Analysts warn that the government’s failure to respond could carry significant political consequences, particularly among younger activists who regard Mahfuj as a symbol of their movement. “Failure to condemn or investigate these attacks risks alienating the very generation that drove the change in Nepal’s politics,” said political analyst Sunil Khadka. “It creates a perception that the state is either powerless or complicit.”
Meanwhile, the interim government has condemned attempted attack on Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuj Alam in London.
On 12 September 2025, as Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuz Alam left a SOAS-University of London programme marking the first anniversary of Bangladesh’s July uprising, a group of demonstrators threw eggs at Bangladesh High Commission vehicles and briefly tried to block their path.
London’s Metropolitan Police intervened effectively; reports indicate Mr Alam was not in the cars struck, said a statement issued by the Chief Adviser's Press Wing today.
The Bangladesh High Commission in London said police were in constant contact and assured “full security” for the Adviser during his engagements.
The incident in London follows an attack on Mahfuj Alam a couple of weeks ago while he was on government business in New York.
During an event at Bangladesh’s Consulate General, protesters threw eggs (and, per multiple accounts, bottles) and smashed glass doors; the mission subsequently wrote to local authorities, including the State Department’s local office, seeking action, the statement said.
Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam publicly condemned the attempted harassment.
"The government condemns this latest attack with the same conviction that our government, the people of Bangladesh and the authorities of both host countries stand on the side of civilised values while the thugs inhabit the world of barbarism and bullying," the statement read.
This pattern of conduct has no place in any democracy that values argument over aggression and debate over thuggery. "As we said after the attack in New York, violence is not protest; intimidation is not free speech. Those words apply with full force in London as they did in New York."
"We reaffirm the principle we asserted after the New York incident: fundamental freedoms of speech, assembly and peaceful protest are cornerstones of democracy - but they must be exercised with responsibility and respect," the statement said.
Targeting consular vehicles and attempting to obstruct them is not only reckless, it offends the norms that safeguard dialogue between nations.
Bangladesh acknowledges the Metropolitan Police response and urges continued coordination to identify offenders and pursue appropriate charges.
"To those who organised or abetted this behaviour: grow up. If you believe in your cause, make your case - peacefully, lawfully, and with dignity. Eggs, fists and mob theatrics persuade no one; they merely prove to the world that you have no argument left," the statement read.
To universities, venues and the diaspora: stand firm for civil discourse. Host the difficult conversations, but insist on conduct that protects speakers, audiences and lawful protesters alike. The measure of a movement is not how loudly it shouts or how violently it acts, but the discipline, dignity and responsibility it upholds.
The Bangladesh government called on the Metropolitan Police to complete a full investigation, using available footage to identify individuals who committed offences (vandalism, assault, obstruction) and bring them to justice, the statement said.
It also urged political leaders and community organisers to publicly and unequivocally repudiate violence and intimidation in the diaspora, whatever their factional loyalties.
The government calls for affirming the right to peaceful protest - and the equal right of officials, students and citizens to speak and assemble without fear. "Democracy demands passion; it also demands self control.
"The cause of Bangladesh’s evolution as a democracy that protects all citizens’ security and dignity requires both," the statement added.
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