Collected PhotoPopular Bangladeshi actress Azmeri Haque Badhan has filed a case against the alleged attackers who reportedly harassed and physically assaulted her and her family members in Mestre, Italy, Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC Press Minister Golam Mortoza said in a Facebook post in the early hours of Wednesday.
‘I just spoke with Badhan over the phone about the details,’ Mortoza said.
He said two officers from the Bangladesh Embassy in Italy travelled to Venice and accompanied Badhan to a local police station, where she formally filed the case.
Video footage of the alleged perpetrators has also been handed over to the police, Mortoza said.
Mortoza said reports of the incident had received prominent coverage in the Italian mainstream media, while the organisers of the Venice Film Festival had also taken the matter seriously.
‘Badhan is an invited guest of the festival. Since an attack occurred against a festival guest, they too have reported the incident to the police,’ he said.
According to the Bangladeshi official, Badhan was originally scheduled to stay in Venice for two days. However, following the incident, the festival organisers told her that she could stay for as long as she wished and that they would make all necessary arrangements.
Badhan is expected to return to Dhaka after the festival concludes, while the legal proceedings will continue, Mortoza said. He added that police were maintaining contact with the Bangladesh embassy and Badhan's brother.
Earlier, Badhan alleged that she and her family members had been physically harassed and attacked by a group of expatriate Bangladeshis whom she identified as supporters of the activity-banned Awami League in Mestre.
She made the allegations during a live broadcast from her verified Facebook page in the early hours of Tuesday.
According to Badhan, she had gone to a park with her brother and his family when a group of Bengali expatriates approached them and allegedly attacked her.
FP/A
