The National Citizen Party (NCP) has issued show-cause notices to 10 of its central leaders over various incidents, including breaches of discipline, moral turpitude and involvement in controversies in last six months. Five of these 10 leaders are members of the party’s key decision-making body, the Political Council.
Less than two months after the party’s launch on 28 February, allegations were raised against NCP’s Joint Member Secretary Gazi Salauddin Tanvir for lobbying and interference in the appointment of a Deputy Commissioner (DC) and for engaging in “commission trading” in the printing of NCTB books. Facing widespread criticism, Tanvir was temporarily suspended from the party on 21 April and asked to explain why he should not be permanently expelled. Since then, he has remained inactive in party activities.
Most recently, on the anniversary of the July Uprising (5 August), five top leaders of NCP were served show-cause notices over a visit to Cox’s Bazar. Four of them are Political Council members: Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwari, Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Jara, Chief Organiser (north) Sarjis Alam, and Chief Organiser (south) Hasnat Abdullah. Joint Convenor Khaled Saifullah was also served a notice over the incident. All of them responded, but the party has made no further public statement on the matter.
On 7 August, Patwari and Hasnat posted their written responses on Facebook. Patwari stated that he did not find the notice factually justified and explained that his Cox’s Bazar trip was intended for deep reflection on the uprising, the Constituent Assembly, and the framework for a new democratic constitution. In his reply, Hasnat questioned whether issuing an ‘unjustified’ show-cause notice and hastily releasing it to the media reflected political maturity. He added that he chose to leave Dhaka on 5 August as July Declaration announced on that day created division rather than unity.
In another case last May, NCP Senior Joint Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud (also a Political Council member) secured the release of three people arrested by police in Dhanmondi for creating a ‘mob’ while identifying them as coordinators. Following criticism, he was issued a show-cause notice. After submitting a written explanation, NCP announced on 29 May that Hannan had admitted wrongdoing, pledged not to repeat it, and had his notice withdrawn.
Commenting anonymously to Prothom Alo, a senior NCP leader said, “Many who joined NCP were previously engaged in activism. As a result, habits like excessive social media engagement remain. It will take some time for them to make a transition from activist behavior to a political mindset.”
Eight mid-level party leaders told Prothom Alo they believe the top leadership should be stricter on discipline, as lapses at the highest level set an example for the rest of the party.
NCP’s Joint Member Secretary (office) Salehuddin Sifat confirmed that 10 leaders have been issued show-cause notices so far. He said all have responded and that the party took organisational measures where deemed necessary.
Other show-cause incidents
On 17 June, Joint Convenor Sarwar Tushar was served a notice over allegations of misconduct and was asked to refrain from all organisational activities until the matter was resolved. He submitted a written explanation, but no final decision has been announced by the party.
On 9 June, Executive Member Zobairul Alam was issued a notice. During an Eid reunion programme in Chattogram’s Anwara, Zobairul Alam said, “There’s no bigger mafia than us.” NCP has not given any update on this case.
In May, Joint Member Secretary Zainal Abedin (Shishir) was accused of involvement in unrest at the Daily Janakantha office. He was asked to respond within 48 hours, but the party has not revealed how it handled his reply.
On 27 June, NCP’s Joint Coordinator for Rajshahi district, Nahidul Islam, was temporarily suspended for assaulting a fellow leader and asked to explain why he should not be expelled.
Following the 25 June stabbing of Masum Billah, Member Secretary of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement in Madaripur, NCP suspended both the district and pourashava coordination committees there and expelled two district leaders from all positions.
The party’s Disciplinary Committee investigates all misconduct allegations. Its head, Joint Member Secretary Abdullah Al-Amin, told Prothom Alo that action has been taken in every case. Some responses to show-cause notices were satisfactory. In cases where the answers were not satisfactory or allegations were proven, punitive measures including temporary suspension, committee dissolution, reprimands, or warnings were taken. Some investigations are still ongoing.