Staff Correspondent:

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the brutal murder of scrap trader Lal Chand, alias Sohag, 39, in front of Mitford Hospital (Sir Salimullah Medical College) in the capital is being exploited for political gains.

Mirza Fakhrul made the remarks while speaking at a press conference held at the BNP Chairperson’s political office in Gulshan on Monday. At the time he also announced that the BNP has decided to form an ‘Investigation and Fact-Finding Committee’ to uncover the underlying causes of Lal Chand’s murder.

The BNP secretary general stated there is ample reason to suspect that such an incident is being used, under the instigation of certain quarters, as a pretext to disrupt the environment ahead of the upcoming national election.

A group of men brutally murdered Lal Chand in broad daylight on the busy road in front of Mitford Hospital this Wednesday. Leaders and activists from the BNP-affiliated Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal have reportedly been linked to the incident. BNP reported of expelling five of their activists in connection to the murder.

The killing of Lal Chand has sparked public outrage across the country. There were protests at different parts across the country even on Sunday demanding an end to extortion, violence, and killings. In response, the government has announced a special ‘sweeping drive’.

Mirza Fakhrul said that there is enough reason to believe that this murder is being used to carry out a politically motivated conspiracy to intentionally destabilise the country. There being no attempt of intervention despite the presence of a crowd of people and law enforcement agencies nearby has raised questions in public’s mind, he added.

The BNP leader alleged that the incident, which took place on 9 July, was deliberately spread online at the ‘prime time’ after Jummah prayers on Friday, 11 July. He added that specific social media IDs and pages started sharing the photo cards that were already created beforehand. This suggests that the tools for a disinformation campaign had been prepared in advance, he said.

Condemning the government’s inaction in preventing political exploitation, Mirza Fakhrul said he hopes all responsible political parties would become aware of the severe consequences of the declining political environment in the country. He warned that if actions that violate standards of political civility hinder the country’s democratic transition, and those responsible would have to bear the consequences.

The BNP secretary general reiterated that there is no scope for leniency or bias towards criminals. “Instead of appreciating BNP’s bold move to expel those accused merely based on allegations, an orchestrated effort is underway to malign the party and its acting chairman Tarique Rahman, which just undermines the democratic journey of the country,” he said.

Mirza Fakhrul questioned whether the ongoing protests, vulgar rhetoric, and targeted hate campaigns against BNP, even though it is not in power, signals that the political culture is returning back to the era of fascism.

He went on to protest and condemn the use of explicit and indecent language against Tarique Rahman saying that the deliberate propaganda against public aspirations for decent and responsible politics and the vile slogans are indeed echoing the voice of fascist Hasina and the Awami League.

The BNP secretary general also questioned whether the nationwide outrage was as strong in the case of a recent Jubo Dal leader’s murder in Khulna. He said such blatant acts of violence by a handful of criminals go against the spirit of the July uprising that happened just a year ago and can be considered a renewed conspiracy to destroy the rule of law.

Mirza Fakhrul remarked that an individual’s crime has no links to the party. “BNP remains firm and unwavering in its stance that the killers must face swift and exemplary punishment,” he said.

Among others, BNP standing committee members Abdul Moyeen Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Selima Rahman, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Major (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, and AZM Zahid Hossain were also present at the press conference.