An opposition member of parliament has alleged an attempt on his life using professional killers and demanded security for himself and his family members, raising the issue in the National Parliament on Sunday.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mashiur Mustafa, MP for Netrokona-5 (Purbadhala) constituency, made the demand by rising on a point of order on the 21st day of the first session of the 13th National Parliament, with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed presiding.
Describing the incident, Mustafa said, “The Maghrib call to prayer had been given. I went to the filling station to pray with my people. At that moment, some people, invoking the name of BNP, attacked my car.”
“They also attacked and physically tortured my people who came upon hearing the sound. I went to the mosque where I was praying; they tried to enter that mosque to find me. The worshippers closed the door of the mosque; they struck the door with various weapons to break it down.”
The Jamaat MP further alleged, “They abused me, threatened to kill me, and they attempted to kill me. Later I heard that professional killers were brought there to kill me. However, they could not break down the door due to the resistance of the worshippers.”
Addressing the Speaker, Mustafa said, “Otherwise, a condolence motion might have had to be brought for me, and perhaps you would have had to observe a minute of silence for me.”
Seeking security, he said, “I seek security from you, I seek security for my family, I seek security for the workers of my organisation in my area from our prime minister and the honourable home minister. People have asked me, ‘What crime did you commit that you were attacked?’ I could not tell them what the crime was.”
The Speaker noted that nine people had been arrested in connection with the incident.
However, Mustafa claimed, “Only one of those arrested by police is a listed accused. The rest are all innocent. Nine people are coming out on bail today. And those who were the accused are all marching in processions; I have received a phone call about this at this very moment.”
“The criminals are roaming around. I have told the Superintendent of Police that the criminals are roaming openly, but the listed accused are not being arrested,” he added.
Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “What has happened is extremely regrettable. We all have strongly condemned this incident and we feel very sorry about it.”
“Our parliamentary leader has told me that he is ensuring that a proper investigation is conducted. The real criminals will be identified and punished. Nine people have already been arrested, and through a further proper investigation, action will certainly be taken against them. The entire parliament agrees on this matter, that strict measures should be taken.”
The Speaker advised the MP to wait for the results of the investigation, saying, “The Minister has already spoken about arresting the real criminals. Please wait to see the results.”
