Ex-Chhatra Shibir president’s remarks on attacks against NCP activists spark controversy
A Facebook post by Jahidul Islam, the immediate past central president of Islami Chhatra Shibir, concerning attacks on leaders and activists of the National Citizen Party (NCP) in Habiganj and several other parts of the country has triggered a fresh round of controversy.
Amid the backlash, though Jahidul Islam deleted the post, the dispute has continued unabated.
On Tuesday, an attack was carried out on the motorcade of NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary and Chief Organiser (northern region) Sarjis Alam in Habiganj during the party’s “July March” programme.
The following day, Wednesday, NCP leaders and activists were prevented by police from staging a protest in Habiganj town. Most recently, on Thursday, vehicles carrying NCP leaders and activists came under attack in Sylhet.
The NCP has blamed the ruling BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party), along with activists of its affiliated organisations, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Jubo Dal, for the attacks.
The attacks on NCP leaders and activists, as well as the police obstruction, have become a major topic of discussion in both the mainstream media and on social media.
Against this backdrop, shortly after 12:15 am on Friday, Jahidul Islam, the immediate past president of Islami Chhatra Shibir, published a post on his verified Facebook page.
In the post, he wrote, “The attacks in Habiganj and Moulvibazar appear to have been very well planned. The objective could be to keep Jamaat out of the spotlight as much as possible during July and to generate public sympathy for the NCP. Good plan, good move. (Deep power).”
The NCP is part of the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami. Islami Chhatra Shibir is the Jamaat’s student wing.
Following Jahidul’s post, several Facebook accounts supportive of Jamaat published posts late that night expressing broadly similar views.
For example, one account under the name Hasan Md Mehdi posted, “Innocent Alif lost his eye in a staged game!”
The post referred to Alif Chowdhury, an organiser of the Nabiganj Upazila unit of the Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, the NCP’s student wing. He suffered a serious eye injury during Tuesday’s attack.
However, as supporters echoed the former Chhatra Shibir president’s remarks, NCP leaders, activists and supporters began criticising them on Facebook.
Among the responses, a post by Monira Sharmin, Joint Convener of the NCP, attracted the greatest attention.
In her post, she referred to Gazi Nazrul Islam, the member of parliament for Satkhira-4 who was recently expelled from Jamaat-e-Islami. He was expelled after a video of “private moments” involving him went viral.
Monira Sharmin wrote, “Jamaat’s 60-year-old member of parliament became embroiled in a scandal after luring a 17-year-old girl with the promise of a job; that was also in this July. The incident not only dominated public discussion but also caused considerable embarrassment. Yet I have seen some people who, instead of condemning the attacks, are smelling a ‘deep plan’. It is only natural that some people would feel uncomfortable if the NCP establishes itself politically. Refusing to acknowledge one’s own failures and instead viewing others with suspicion is a kind of illness. I pray for their recovery. Amen.”
As of 12:00 pm on Friday, Monira Sharmin’s post had received around 9,500 reactions on Facebook and more than 1,900 comments.
Alongside Monira Sharmin, several other NCP leaders also strongly criticised the former Chhatra Shibir president’s post on Facebook.
Amid the growing criticism, Jahidul removed his post later that night. The move itself became the subject of widespread satire and sarcasm among NCP supporters on Facebook.