Dhaka: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) return to power has been accompanied by internal disputes, even as the party takes charge of maintaining law and order, a report has stated.
Despite sweeping political changes in recent years, Bangladesh continues to witness deadly clashes over local control. The 2024 uprising that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the subsequent interim administration led largely by Muhammad Yunus, and the eventual return to power of BNP following the national elections this year have failed to change one persistent reality: people continue to lose their lives in power struggles at the grassroots level, according to a report in the online magazine ‘The Diplomat’.
Amid escalating political violence in Bangladesh, the report highlighted that on the night of October 18 this year, Ripon Mia, a local leader of Jubo Dal, the youth wing of BNP, was chased through Paiska in Narayanganj district by a group of men and attacked with sharp weapons. He was rushed to a hospital by his family, but doctors declared him dead.
Local BNP activists said the attack followed a worsening rivalry between two factions over the inclusion of names on the guest list for a religious event.
“Several men chased my father and hacked him,” Ripon’s daughter Shila told the media.
In a similar incident earlier this year, two brothers lost their lives following a clash between BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) supporters in western Bangladesh’s Chuadanga district, the report stated.
According to the police, the violence broke out following an argument after the evening meal to break the Ramadan fast. Hafizur Rahman died a few hours later, while his brother, Mofizur Rahman, a local JI leader, succumbed to his injuries at a Dhaka hospital on March 10.
“The BNP and the JI blamed each other for the violence. Police arrested three suspects after the family filed a murder complaint, including a local BNP official and a former leader of its volunteer wing. The clash came less than two weeks after the BNP returned to government,” The Diplomat said.
The report cited data from Dhaka-based human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), which recorded 94 deaths and 3,587 injuries in 467 incidents of political violence between January and September this year. Of these, 112 incidents involved clashes between rival factions of the BNP, leaving 18 people dead and 1,215 injured.
“The figures cover part of the interim administration as well as the elected government. BNP chief Tarique Rahman took office as Prime Minister on February 17,” it noted.
–IANS
