LGRD and Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain said today that his work often continues into the early morning hours. When that happens and there is no food at home, he usually visits Neela Market on the 300-foot road for its popular duck dishes.

“If it’s already late and Neela Market is closed, then I go to The Westin Hotel in Gulshan,” he told reporters at the Secretariat in response to a question.

The query came after an old video clip — recorded by a former leader of the Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad who has since been expelled — resurfaced on social media yesterday, in which the adviser’s name was mentioned.

That former leader, Jane Alam Apu, was arrested in connection with an extortion incident at the residence of ex–Awami League lawmaker Shammi Ahmed in Gulshan. In the video, Jane Alam claimed he had met Asif Mahmud in Gulshan on the day of the incident.

The adviser said he could not remember whether he had been in that area on that specific day. Asked whether a helmeted person seen in CCTV footage from the incident was him, Asif responded, “If someone insists that anyone in a helmet on CCTV is me, how credible is that claim?”

He denied having any role in the extortion case, saying, “I don’t believe there is any evidence linking me to the incident. On the contrary, the allegation that this interview was forcibly recorded at the home of a political leader — as claimed by the family — is a serious matter, and so far, it appears credible. The mention of my name in this case is entirely politically motivated.”