A senior local politician from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been temporarily suspended from all party posts after a video surfaced online showing him threatening the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Naria Police Station inside the officer’s official chamber.
The incident occurred on Monday night in Shariatpur district when Motiur Rahman, the organizational secretary of the Naria Upazila BNP, confronted Officer-in-Charge Anwar Hossain. In a 37-second video clip that rapidly went viral across social media platforms, Motiur Rahman can be seen warning the police officer that he would face the same fate as his predecessor, Bahar Mia, who was transferred from the station approximately two months ago.
The dispute originated earlier on Monday afternoon in the Noadda Banglabazar area of Naria Upazila. Motiur Rahman, who intends to contest as a chairman candidate in the upcoming Union Parishad elections, attempted to erect an election campaign billboard on a plot of land. The landowner, Abu Taleb, object to the installation, leading to a heated argument and a physical altercation between the two men. When Abu Taleb’s brother, Abdus Salam, arrived at the scene to intervene, he was also reportedly assaulted.
Following the altercation, Motiur Rahman pressured police to arrest Abdus Salam in connection with an existing case filed under the Explosives Substances Act, in which 10 to 15 unidentified individuals had been named as suspects. When police officers insisted on investigating the matter before taking action, Motiur Rahman entered the OC’s office to demand immediate police enforcement.
In the recording, Motiur Rahman accused the police of detaining individuals arbitrarily rather than arresting the suspects he had designated. Slamming his hand on the officer’s desk, he asserted that he would report the matter to the Superintendent of Police (SP) and the Deputy Inspector General (DIG). As he walked towards the door, he turned back and threatened, “If you release him, you will go down the same path Bahar went.”
Throughout the exchange, OC Anwar Hossain remained composed, stating that Abdus Salam would only be formally charged if an investigation confirmed his involvement in the alleged offence.
Following widespread public criticism and political fallout from the video, the Shariatpur District BNP took swift disciplinary action on Tuesday. A letter signed by Muhammad Kamrul Hasan, Office Secretary of the District BNP, announced Motiur Rahman’s temporary suspension from all organizational duties. The party cited breach of party discipline, unorganizational conduct, damage to the party’s public image, and severe abuse of power as grounds for the decision. Shah Abdus Salam, Vice-President of the Shariatpur District BNP, publicly condemned the behaviour, emphasizing that pressuring or threatening public officials is entirely unacceptable.
Local residents and business owners in the Gharisar Market area staged a protest procession on Tuesday afternoon, voicing outrage over the assault on Abu Taleb and Abdus Salam and condemning attempts to harass local citizens through police influence.
Addressing the situation, Additional Superintendent of Police (Naria Circle) Mohiuddin Miraj clarified that initial inquiries revealed the incident to be a minor physical altercation involving Abu Taleb, rather than Abdus Salam. Consequently, police released Abdus Salam after verification. The police administration confirmed that details regarding the intimidation of the station commander have been formally reported to higher authorities for further action.
