Shoe garland at protest placed around Aamir Hamza’s neck

Pabna, Bangladesh – Supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) staged a protest on Saturday evening against Jamaat leader Mufti Amir Hamza, following controversial remarks he made about the late Arafat Rahman Coco, the younger son of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. Demonstrators expressed their outrage by parading an effigy of Hamza, adorning it with a garland of shoes, and symbolically throwing footwear at it.

The protest march commenced at 7:30 pm from the central bus terminal near Railgate in Ishwardi town. Participants proceeded along the main thoroughfare before concluding with a brief assembly at the old rickshaw stand in the town market. Throughout the demonstration, protesters chanted slogans condemning Hamza’s remarks and demanding accountability.

Zakaria Pintu, an independent candidate for the Pabna-4 constituency and former joint general secretary of the district BNP, addressed the assembly. He remarked, “The ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol holds deep emotional significance for the Bengali people, representing the struggle for independence. Its association with freedom contrasts sharply with the ideology of those opposing it. The way Mufti Amir Hamza has distorted the name of the late Arafat Rahman Coco is utterly unacceptable. The public, by showering his effigy with shoes, has voiced its collective outrage against this reprehensible act.”

The protest also drew the participation of several senior BNP figures, including former Upazila BNP president and freedom fighter Shamsuddin Malitha, former municipal BNP general secretary S. M. Thojlur Rahman, and former organisational secretary Islam Hossain Jewel.

The demonstration follows the recent viral circulation on social media of a 2023 video featuring Amir Hamza, in which he reportedly made an objectionable comparison involving the late Arafat Rahman Coco. The content of the video sparked widespread condemnation, with many users describing it as insulting and deeply disrespectful.

Key Details of the Protest

The protest highlights the heightened sensitivities in Bangladeshi politics, particularly regarding figures associated with the country’s independence and their families. Local observers noted that the symbolic use of shoes against the effigy underlines the intensity of public sentiment and the seriousness with which such remarks are perceived.