Badhan assault in Venice sparks protest in parliament, govt urged to seek action
She was targeted because she stood with the people of Bangladesh during July, BNP lawmaker Jahrat Adib Chowdhury says.
A BNP lawmaker today (8 September) raised in parliament the physical and verbal assault on actress Azmeri Haque Badhan in Venice, Italy, urging the government to work with Italian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
Raising the issue on a point of order at the start of the day's sitting, reserved-seat MP Jahrat Adib Chowdhury asked what steps the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was taking with Italian law enforcement agencies over the incident.
Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal was in the chair.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Jahrat alleged that Badhan was assaulted while walking in a park in Venice with members of her family, including a child. Referring to the actress's own social media account of the incident, she claimed the attack was linked to Badhan's public support for the July Uprising in Bangladesh.
"She was targeted because she stood with the people of Bangladesh during July," the BNP lawmaker said, describing the alleged assault on a woman and an artist as unacceptable.
She also alleged that some of the accused later displayed "arrogance" on social media, claiming they could attack a woman without facing legal consequences.
According to the lawmaker, the suspects were identified through social media within 24 hours.
Jahrat said she would later raise the issue with the foreign affairs authorities, noting that no representative from the ministry was present in parliament at the time.
Responding to the matter, Deputy Speaker Kaiser Kamal described the alleged assault as "extremely unforgivable and condemnable."
He said Parliament would seek the government's position once a representative from the foreign affairs ministry was present.
"Parliament is waiting to know about this. The nation wants to know," he said.
