BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has accused certain quarters of wrongfully using the Mitford murder case to “malign the character” of BNP and its acting chairman Tarique Rahman through a “smear campaign”.
At a press conference held at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office on Monday, Fakhrul strongly condemned and expressed disgust over the “vulgar and indecent remarks” publicly made against Tarique Rahman.
He stated, “Instead of fostering healthy politics as desired by the people, we are again hearing the echoes of fascist Hasina and Awami League’s voice through orchestrated propaganda and obscene slogans.”
In a written statement, the BNP secretary general condemned the brutal murder of Lal Chand alias Sohag and demanded exemplary punishment for the perpetrators.
He said, “Despite no evidence of direct involvement or presence in the killing, the party has taken the highest organisational action – lifetime expulsion – against those accused in the case, in line with party discipline.”
Protesting what he called an “unjust attempt to tarnish the party’s image,” Fakhrul asserted, “Despite such a firm stance regarding the matter, certain vested quarters have deliberately dared to defame our party and our top leadership’s integrity and character.”
Expressing suspicion that the Mitford murder might be exploited for political gain, Fakhrul added, “This incident could potentially be used as an excuse to disrupt the pre-election environment, possibly instigated by specific quarters.”
The BNP secretary general claimed that the July 9 incident was strategically circulated online on July 11 after Jummah prayers as part of a premeditated plan.
BNP has formed an “investigation and fact-finding committee” to uncover the underlying reasons behind Sohag’s murder, Fakhrul said, stating that the committee would reveal the “real truth” to the public.
Others present at the press conference were BNP standing committee members Abdul Moyeen Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Selima Rahman, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Maj (Retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, and AZM Zahid Hossain.