NCP Leaders in Freed After Lock on Office Is Broken

Several leaders of the Rajshahi Metropolitan NCP were locked inside their office by a group of youths claiming to be “July Fighters”, who demanded the dissolution of the district committee. At around 9pm on Wednesday, the group marched to the organisation’s office in the Gankapara area of the city and padlocked the main entrance. Nearly two hours later, NCP leaders were able to exit the premises after the padlock was cut open.

According to several witnesses, a group of young men entered the Rajshahi Metropolitan NCP office at around a quarter to nine on Wednesday night. They began shouting, “Come out, come out. From today, all activities of the metropolitan NCP are shut down. The NCP is being declared unwanted in Rajshahi.” They continued chanting slogans such as “Inquilab, Inquilab, Zindabad, Zindabad”, “Action, action, direct action”, “Awami League’s presence will not be tolerated in this land”, “Awami League’s agents, beware”, “Collaboration or freedom—freedom, freedom”, and “No compromise, struggle, struggle”.

Metropolitan convenor Mobassher Ali attempted to calm the demonstrators, but they left the office area and issued a 20-minute ultimatum for leaders to vacate the premises. Shortly afterward, around 9pm, they locked the office gate while several NCP leaders were still inside. At around 11pm, NCP activists cut through the lock and freed the eight leaders who had been confined.

After securing the gate, the protesters marked a cross symbol on the office entrance and wrote: “Boycott Awami League, boycott agents, boycott rehabilitators, boycott NCP.”

Mobassher Ali confirmed that eight individuals, including the branch’s member secretary, had been locked inside. He said, “Those who came yesterday were present on the streets during the July movement. They cannot accept the district committee. Their protest is justified. However, we had no involvement in forming this committee, which was made by the central leadership. The centre should make a prompt decision on this matter.”

Five more resign from the district committee
Accusing the Rajshahi district convenor of being aligned with the Awami League, five additional members of the same committee have resigned. They submitted their resignations to the central leadership on Wednesday, demanding that the committee be dissolved. In total, 11 members of the district committee have now stepped down.

The newly resigned members are Azizul Islam, Asad, Milon Chandra Ghosh, Mohammad Ariful Islam and Naeem Fakir. They were appointed as members of the Rajshahi district NCP committee on 29 November.

In their resignation letters, the five stated, “We were frontline fighters in the July movement and protested to remove the autocrat. Yet one of that autocrat’s main allies, Saiful Islam, has been appointed convenor of the Rajshahi district committee. We strongly condemn and oppose this. We urge the immediate cancellation of this committee.”

The 114-member Rajshahi district NCP committee was announced on the night of 29 November, with Saiful Islam as convenor and Raniur Rahman as member secretary. The following day, joint member secretary Jihan Mubarak resigned through a press briefing.

Responding to the accusations, Saiful Islam told a press conference, “It can only be said that I am affiliated with the Awami League if I hold an organisational post or responsibility. I did not hold any such post.”

Khaborwala/SS