The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Monday alleged that the murder of Lal Chand Sohag in Dhaka鈥檚 Mitford area was being deliberately by vested interests as part of a calculated effort to derail the upcoming national elections and obstruct the country鈥檚 democratic transition.
At a press conference held at the BNP chairperson鈥檚 office in Gulshan, the party鈥檚 secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, claimed that the incident appeared to be deliberately politicised to tarnish the image of the BNP and its senior leadership, including acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
He warned that despite not being in power, attempts are being made to unjustly blame the BNP and its top leadership, which raises questions about whether the political climate is once again heading towards fascism.
BNP secretary general said that there was sufficient reason to believe that the murder was being exploited as part of a larger plan to create unrest and disrupt the electoral environment.
Mirza Fakhrul described the development as a 鈥榙espicable attempt鈥� to unjustly malign the country鈥檚 largest political party.
He said that a certain group was attempting to divert attention from the real issue by spreading propaganda against BNP in a systematic manner.
鈥楽uch tactics raised serious questions whether the country was heading back to a period of fascism,鈥� Fakhrul said.
He informed the media that the party had decided to form an investigation and fact-finding committee composed of suitable individuals, who would probe the underlying causes of the killing and present their findings to the public.
Expressing the party鈥檚 determination, Mirza Fakhrul said that BNP would resist efforts to derail the political atmosphere and obstruct the path to national elections.
He also mentioned the concerns expressed by the victim鈥檚 family regarding inconsistencies in the official case report, criticising the law enforcement agencies for their failure to identify or arrest the individuals directly involved in the crime.
Reiterating the party鈥檚 official stance, Fakhrul said that no criminal act should be associated with party affiliation, and that the BNP had already taken organisational action against individuals named in the case, despite the absence of any concrete evidence linking them to the murder.
Those facing accusations had reportedly been expelled from the party for life in line with internal disciplinary measures.
Nevertheless, BNP secretary general alleged that a certain faction was continuing a coordinated effort to vilify the party and its leadership.
He pointed to a wave of online campaigns that began shortly after the incident, claiming that protest materials and social media graphics had been prepared in advance, which indicated premeditated propaganda.
The BNP leader said that the true intentions of those conspiring against the nation鈥檚 democratic future had now been revealed, and he criticised the government鈥檚 indifference in addressing the growing trend of uncivilised politics.
Mirza Fakhrul urged all political parties to recognise the dangers posed by the current political deterioration and warned that if democracy was further obstructed through undemocratic practices, the consequences would fall squarely on those responsible.
He said that the BNP, which had long been associated with the country鈥檚 independence, sovereignty, and democratic values, was now facing a deliberate and targeted attack.
He warned that Bangladesh should not fall victim to those plotting to divide the nation and derail its democratic journey.
Fakhrul affirmed that BNP, in alliance with democratic forces and the youth of the country, would stand firm against any fascist conspiracies.
The party, he said, remained steadfast in its commitment to protecting national unity and would continue its efforts to establish genuine democracy in Bangladesh.
