NCP Leaders Accuse Tarique Rahman of Orchestrating Counter-Cases Amidst Internal Conflict
Photo Collected
National Citizens Party (NCP) leaders have accused the acting chairman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, of orchestrating a legal offensive against them following a violent confrontation in Habiganj earlier this week. Addressing journalists at the Sylhet Circuit House on Friday, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary claimed the criminal cases filed against his party members were initiated under direct orders from Rahman to protect political loyalists.
The dispute stems from a clash on Tuesday following an NCP “July March” protest in Habiganj. NCP officials allege that their vehicle convoy was targeted by members of the BNP and its student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal. In response, local NCP supporters organized a protest march, which further escalated into physical altercations between the opposing factions.
Legal proceedings were initiated by both sides shortly after the violence. On Wednesday night, Tanmoy Taher, coordinator of the Habiganj district Chhatra Shakti, filed a case naming 111 individuals, including district Chhatra Dal President Shah Rajib Ahmed. This was followed by a counter-case filed Thursday night by Iqbal Hossain Rukan, joint general secretary of the Habiganj district Chhatra Dal, which implicated NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, regional organizer Sarjis Alam, and 48 others on charges of attempted murder, vandalism, and theft.
Responding to allegations of theft mentioned in the counter-case, Patwary dismissed the claims as fabrication. He accused the BNP of fostering a political culture defined by extortion and intimidation to secure funding for party leadership in Dhaka. Patwary expressed strong condemnation toward Tarique Rahman, suggesting the latter is actively degrading the standard of political discourse in Bangladesh.
Sarjis Alam, also speaking from Sylhet, characterized the legal action as a desperate attempt by the BNP to maintain relevance despite a decline in public trust. He argued that the true loss during these events was not material property, but the political reputation of the BNP leadership. Alam described the accusations as intellectually bankrupt, suggesting that even those tasked with filing the police reports recognized the absurdity of the charges.
Following the press briefing, a delegation of senior NCP leaders, led by party convener and Chief Whip Nahid Islam, departed for a series of scheduled “July March” events in the Companiganj, Gowainghat, and Jaintiapur upazilas of Sylhet.
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