A coordination meeting of the National Citizen Party was targeted with a crude bomb attack outside the Bogura District Council auditorium on Monday afternoon.
Witnesses and the police reported that two crude bombs were thrown moments before Sarjis Alam, NCP鈥檚 chief organiser for the northern region, was set to address the gathering.
One of the bombs exploded, while the second failed to detonate.
Shawkat Imran, a member of NCP鈥檚 Bogura district committee, called the attack an attempt to disrupt the event.
鈥楾he bombs exploded just before our chief organizer was about to speak. This was clearly orchestrated by the fascist Awami League and its supporters,鈥� Imran alleged.
Bogura Sadar police confirmed the explosion and the recovery of the unexploded device nearby.
Officer-in-charge Hasan Basir noted that the bombs had been thrown from the direction of the Korotoa River, but the perpetrators remain unidentified.
Despite the explosions, the meeting proceeded inside the auditorium with Sarjis Alam present. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Alam condemned the attack, calling it a sign of growing desperation by those trying to destabilise the country.
鈥楾he failure of law enforcement and relevant agencies under the interim government is unacceptable,鈥� Alam stated, urging police to remain impartial.
鈥業f such incidents continue, it will expose the authorities鈥� failure, especially with the national election approaching,鈥� he added.
Earlier, Sarjis inaugurated the NCP鈥檚 temporary district office at Bogura鈥檚 historic Altafunnesa field. At the press briefing, he expressed the party鈥檚 lack of confidence in the current Election Commission, criticizing its 鈥榖iased conduct.鈥�
鈥楾he acceptability of the next election depends on the people. If the July Charter is legally recognised, if judicial processes remain transparent, and if the Election Commission operates independently, only then can we hold a legitimate election in February,鈥� Alam said.
He also emphasised that no single party dominates Bangladesh鈥檚 political landscape.
鈥楴either the BNP nor Jamaat can lead the anti-fascist movement alone. The NCP will be crucial on both the streets and in parliament,鈥� he concluded.