Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) reserved-seat MP Ferdousi Ahmed Misty has reportedly been instructed to resign from Parliament following the attack, looting and demolition of the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur, Dhaka. Sources familiar with the matter said she could submit her resignation to Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed at any time.
A senior source at the Prime Minister’s Office said Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman instructed Ferdousi to step down on Wednesday night. According to the sources, she was also warned that failure to resign promptly could lead to stronger action from the party. Further organisational action against her could also be considered after her resignation, they said.
The development comes as the government and the BNP leadership face growing scrutiny over the Radda incident. More than 200 masked people reportedly entered the healthcare facility around midnight on 24 September, looted the premises and subsequently demolished much of the centre. The attackers were reportedly carrying locally made weapons and equipment used in the demolition.
The government has said that the incident is being investigated and that political affiliation will not protect anyone found to have been involved. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on Wednesday that an investigation into Ferdousi was also under way and that anyone found to have links to the incident would face action.
Officials have also been examining the circumstances surrounding the attack, including who organised the group, who supplied equipment and who arranged the excavator used to demolish the centre. Information gathered through local inquiries, law-enforcement sources and CCTV footage has reportedly pointed to several people associated with local BNP politics.
Names of local political figures emerge
An investigation by Prothom Alo found information suggesting that several figures involved in local BNP politics had roles in the events surrounding the attack. Among them are former Dhaka North City BNP member Mohammad Hanif Mia and former Dhaka North Jubo Dal general secretary Mostafa Jaglul Pasha. Sources described both men as being known locally as close to Ferdousi Ahmed.
The activities of the Like-Minded Shopkeepers Cooperative Society Limited have also come under scrutiny. Several local BNP figures are reportedly associated with the organisation. Ferdousi Ahmed was president of the cooperative in 2006, when she was a commissioner of Ward 8 under Shah Ali Police Station. An application submitted to the housing and public works authorities at the time, seeking allocation of the Radda centre’s land in the cooperative’s name, reportedly carried her signature as its president.
Ferdousi has previously denied involvement in the attack and said that although her name had been associated with the cooperative in the past, she was no longer involved with it. She has also called for the matter to be investigated through legal channels.
The Radda centre has served low-income women and children in the area for decades, providing healthcare services including maternal and child care, family planning and vaccination. Despite the destruction, vaccination services resumed shortly after the incident, while repair and debris-clearance work began at the site.
The political pressure on Ferdousi intensified on Thursday when she met Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed at Parliament. She spent several minutes in the Speaker’s office before leaving the complex. When journalists asked whether she had resigned, she did not give a direct answer, saying only that she had met the Speaker and that the investigation should continue. She also said that whatever decision the BNP takes will be followed. No formal statement from the Speaker’s office on her resignation had been issued at the time of the report.
The matter therefore remains closely tied to both the ongoing investigation and the BNP leadership’s decision regarding Ferdousi’s parliamentary position. Any formal resignation or further disciplinary action is expected to depend on developments in those processes.
