Opposition Leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has criticised the government’s recent fuel price increase, calling it a “fraud” against the public and an act of “oppression.”
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday morning after visiting the family of a four-year-old murder victim in Sylhet Sadar, he said the price of fuel had risen by Tk5 within a month, and the announcement was made while “the people were asleep.”
“This is oppression against the people,” he said, adding that the government bypassed the upcoming budget session where the matter could have been discussed. “The government did this in a hurry, deceiving the people.”
The Amir’s visit followed the brutal murder of a four-year-old girl, who went missing on 6 May. Her body was found on 8 May in a ditch near her home. Zakir Hossain, 30, was arrested on 11 May and confessed in court to strangling the child after an attempted rape and hiding her body in a suitcase.
Shafiqur Rahman expressed frustration at the slow legal proceedings, noting that 28 days have passed without visible progress. He called for the immediate filing of a charge sheet and a speedy trial, and urged the Prime Minister to make a formal declaration regarding the case, similar to a previous high-profile child murder case in Pallabi.
The Jamaat leader described the country’s current situation as moving contrary to the sacrifices made by the people and vowed to continue opposing what he called the “terrible current.”
He also urged the government to act humbly, reminding officials that they are “guards” of the people, not landlords, and specifically called on the Home Minister to locate the perpetrators and the Law Minister to ensure justice. He cited local reports suggesting the main accused’s family was involved and demanded their prosecution.
“We do not consider which party, opinion, or religion a victim belongs to; we see them as human beings,” he said, reaffirming Jamaat’s commitment to support the oppressed. He warned that failure to punish offenders would embolden criminals further.
Jamaat officials accompanying him included Central Assistant Secretary General and Publicity Secretary Ehsanul Mahbub Jubayer, Central Working Council member and Sylhet City Amir Muhammad Fakhrul Islam, District Amir Habibur Rahman, and other local leaders.
