A BNP worker has threatened to gouge out the eyes of Muhammadullah, the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis member of parliament (MP) for the Mymensingh-2 (Fulpur-Tarakanda) seat. A video of the threat has been circulating on Facebook since Thursday night. A written complaint has been filed with the police over the incident.
In the video, a man named Sohrab Hossain, a resident of Atadar village in Rampur union of Tarakanda upazila, is seen abusing the member of parliament and threatening him with serious physical harm. In the video he also mentions the name of the BNP leader Motahar Hossain Talukder. He is heard saying: “Doing a movement, are you, MP sir? That Wahhabi MP sir, son of a razakar. Today he is saying Motahar Talukder’s men beat him up. If Motahar Talukder’s men beat you, will you be able to stay in the area? Doing a movement in the area? Not on the streets — a movement … I’ll give you one. The country is running well; you cannot stand it, son of a razakar? Is this government running the country badly?”
In the thirteenth Jatiya Sangsad election, the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis candidate Muhammadullah was elected by defeating the BNP candidate Motahar Hossain Talukder. Motahar Hossain was later given charge as chairman of the Mymensingh Development Authority by the government.
The BNP worker Sohrab Hossain is also heard saying in the video: “There are so many crises in the country, a shortage of fuel oil, war going on in another country — leaving all that aside, you are running a movement. If you ever take to the streets again, I will not let even one of you go home. Are you fit to be an MP? Do you look like an MP? To do politics you need all-round qualifications. When the month of Ramadan came you wore a cap and ate at invitations, and now you have become an MP. You stole votes to get elected and now you are running a movement again? Nobody can do anything to you? … You will see, I will gouge your eyes right out … I am telling you for the last time today — if you ever come on live again and speak about Talukder, I will make things very bad for you.”
Locals said Sohrab Hossain is a local BNP worker whose home is in Atadar village of Rampur union. His mobile number was called several times for his comment on the video message, but he did not respond.
Asked about the threat, the MP, Muhammadullah, told Prothom Alo that one side is angry because extortion has stopped. They are trying to create instability and stir up conflict in the area, he said. He also said he is not personally frightened by the incident. In his words: “Life and death are in Allah’s hands. But incidents of this kind spoil the social atmosphere. They are trying to provoke a quarrel. According to the video statement, the man making the threat is Motahar Hossain Talukder’s man. If I speak against Motahar Hossain Talukder, he will gouge out my eyes. There is nothing more to understand about it.”
Asked about the threat to the MP, the joint convener of Mymensingh north district BNP, Motahar Hossain Talukder, told Prothom Alo that the accused holds no position in the party and could at most be a supporter. As soon as he learned of the matter he ordered the video deleted and warned that such behaviour would not be tolerated, he said. “This is not political; I believe it happened over a personal dispute. I do not allow behaviour of this kind. It could be anyone, it could be my enemy — why would he say such things about him? If he does not delete the video, legal action will be taken against him,” he said.
Saying the video had come to the notice of police, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Tarakanda police station, Abdur Rashid, said he had spoken to the MP’s personal secretary (PS) and advised them to file a written complaint. The matter will be investigated and necessary legal action taken, he said.
Over the incident, the joint general secretary of the Tarakanda upazila branch of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Md Gias Uddin Foyezi, went to the police station at about 3 p.m. today, Saturday, with several leaders and workers and filed a written complaint. A sub-inspector has been assigned to investigate the complaint.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report