A controversial video featuring Advocate Ranjit Sarkar, former Member of Parliament for Sunamganj-1 and organisational secretary of the Sylhet district Awami League, has triggered widespread debate across Bangladesh. Posted to his personal Facebook account on Monday afternoon, 9 November, the five-minute clip shows the absconding politician addressing party activists. Sarkar, who has been in hiding since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on 5 August 2024, claimed he crossed the border from Meghalaya in India to hold an exchange meeting in his constituency, openly challenging law enforcement agencies to locate his whereabouts within the country.
The footage displays Sarkar speaking to approximately fifty supporters in front of a banner reading “Sheikh Hasina will return, Bangladesh will smile.” The banner attributed the event to local Awami League branches across Tahirpur, Jamalganj, Dharmapasha, and Mochhnagar upazilas. Set against a backdrop featuring luxury flowerpots and traditional musical instruments such as dhols and tablas, the scene sparked intense speculation online. Commentators questioned whether the footage was recorded during a cultural event near the border or staged at a remote Bangladeshi village. Addressing the queries via WhatsApp, Sarkar insisted that the cultural instruments reflected traditional Bengali heritage and asserted that every participant at the meeting was a local constituent.
Following the publication of the video, police in Sunamganj detained Tara Mia, the organisational secretary of Tahirpur upazila Awami League, who was identified holding the banner alongside local Chhatra League leader Omar Faruk. Nevertheless, senior law enforcement officials offered contradictory assessments regarding the venue. Sunamganj Police Superintendent ABM Zakir Hossain stated that the border remains fortified and suggested the video was filmed inside Sylhet district, whereas Sylhet Police Superintendent Dr Chowdhury Md Yaber Sadeq rejected that claim, suspecting the gathering occurred within Sunamganj. Amidst the ongoing confusion, arsonists set fire to Sarkar’s residence on Monday night, marking the second attack on his property following initial damage during the August uprising.
Ranjit Sarkar won the Sunamganj-1 parliamentary seat under the Awami League banner during the 12th National Parliamentary Election in early 2024. Before entering parliament, he established a dominant political sphere in Sylhet’s Tilagarh area, where his network faced accusations of violence and criminal involvement. Followers affiliated with his faction were previously implicated in several notorious incidents, including an assault on a livestock officer and the gang rape of a woman at the historic MC College hostel. Sources indicate that after fleeing to India post-August 5, Sarkar briefly travelled to the United Kingdom to seek political asylum, but returned to India after his application was rejected, promising supporters he would return to Bangladesh to prepare for party activities.
