Gazipur mayor Zahangir expelled from Awami League

The ruling Awami League (AL) has expelled Gazipur mayor and the general secretary of Gazipur city Awami League Zahangir Alam from the party on Friday.

The decision has been taken in a meeting of central AL executive committee with prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

An organising secretary present at the meeting confirmed the development to Prothom Alo.

A secretly recorded video of mayor Zahangir Alam went viral on social media last September. Awami League leaders alleged that the video showed Jahangir making derogatory remarks on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and some influential leaders of the Gazipur district.

Leaders of AL and associate bodies erupted after the video went viral. They demanded mayor Jahangir be expelled from the post of district AL’s general secretary. Later, anti- Zahangir men clashed with his supporters over the issue on several occasions.

Zahangir was served a show-cause notice signed by ruling party general secretary Obaidul Quader on 3 October. He was asked to give the reply within 18 October. In his reply, Zahangir Alam claimed the video was ‘super edited’.