Reserved-seat MP and National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Nusrat Tabassum has vowed not to be intimidated after her ancestral home was gutted in a fire in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia, saying those behind the incident would only face disgrace.
“Those who think they can frighten us or cause us pain through such incidents will only end up with their faces blackened,” she said.
Nusrat made the remarks at a press conference in front of the burnt house in Bagowan village of Daulatpur around 11:00am on Thursday. Her father, Abdul Halim, and NCP Central Media Editor Yasir Arafat were present.
Nusrat is an NCP joint convener and a member of the party's highest policymaking body, the Political Council.
NCP leaders alleged on Wednesday night that petrol bombs had been hurled at her ancestral home. Following the incident, Nusrat travelled from Dhaka to her village home and addressed the media after inspecting the damaged property on Thursday morning.
She alleged that activists of the Awami League, whose political activities are currently banned, were celebrating the attack on various social media platforms.
“They think such attacks will force us to retreat, frighten us or cause us immense pain and sorrow. But people across Bangladesh witnessed countless incidents of homes being burnt down over the past 17 years, and the mass uprising of 2024 was the consequence of that experience,” she said.
Threats received over several days
Nusrat said she had been receiving threats for several days before the attack.
“At around 9:30pm on October 28, I received a threatening call from a spam number. I received several more threatening calls around that time. On Tuesday, I filed a general diary (GD) with Kalabagan Police Station in Dhaka, detailing the incidents. Even after filing the GD, I continued to receive threats,” she said.
She further alleged that about three hours before the attack on her house on Wednesday night, a threatening post had appeared on the Facebook account of the fugitive president of the banned Kushtia district unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League.
According to Nusrat, CCTV footage showed four consecutive explosions at her house at 12:15:30am.
“Considering the nature and pattern of the explosions, it appears that the house was hit by petrol bombs. However, the matter is subject to investigation, so I am not making a definitive claim. But it looked very much like a petrol bomb attack,” she said.
Nusrat said police arrived after she informed them and provided security to the property to the best of their ability. However, she alleged that even nearly 12 hours after the incident, investigators had yet to collect evidence from the scene.
She also blamed the absence of a fire service station in Daulatpur upazila for the extensive damage, saying most of the house had been gutted before firefighters could arrive.
‘The house was not abandoned’
Nusrat rejected social media and media reports describing the property as abandoned.
“This house was not abandoned at all. A vulnerable family had been living here and looking after the property for the past five to six years. They have become part of our family,” she said.
She added that she had grown up in the house, where her younger brother had also spent his childhood and her parents had raised their family. The house was built by her grandfather and had remained their family residence.
According to Nusrat, the property also housed a livestock farm and was occupied by relatives and the family that looked after it. A child from that family was injured in the incident, while several cattle and other livestock were killed.
“Nothing remains of the house,” she said.
Nusrat blames Awami League
The NCP leader said she did not believe local residents were responsible for the attack, alleging that it was the work of the Awami League, whose activities have been banned.
She also criticised the country's law and order situation, describing it as weak, and said she would file a case with Daulatpur Police Station over the alleged petrol bomb attack.