Fakhrul ‘deeply saddened’ upon hearing arrest of 5 SAD coordinators

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Monday said he was “deeply saddened” to learn about the recent arrest of five coordinators from Students Against Discrimination (SAD) on extortion charges.

He said, “When I saw it in the newspaper, I felt as if I had turned blue with pain. I saw that five coordinators were arrested by the police for forcibly extorting Tk 50 lakh from the house of a former MP.”

The BNP leader made the remarks while officially launching Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal’s month-long programme in front of the National Museum in Shahbagh, Dhaka, to mark the first anniversary of the July Uprising.

He also expressed concern about the country’s future, saying it was alarming to see the youths who led the mass uprising now being involved in such alleged wrongdoing.

The BNP leader said, “Is this the outcome we hoped for? Did anyone in this country want this? If such things are happening so soon --not even a year has passed --then what is our future? Dear fellow comrades (leaders and activists of Jubo Dal), I am saying these words because the whole country is now looking towards you.”

He said it was the young men and women who brought the changes --who brought down Hasina’s rule and drove her out of power and out of the country. “It is these very young people who now have to rebuild this country. It is they who must shape the future of a beautiful Bangladesh based on fairness, justice and humanity.”

Fakhrul also lamented that even after one year they are still unable to say loudly and confidently that they are ready to rebuild the country anew.

“Our leader, Tarique Rahman, from far away, has been guiding us day and night, 24 hours a day. He has been trying to organise us. After encouraging us to take part in the movement to overthrow the fascists, he is now working hard to figure out how to rebuild Bangladesh,” he said.

Fakhrul highlighted the oppression and torture faced by BNP leaders and activists under the fascist Awami League government over the past 15 years.

He said BNP leaders and activists faced brutal torture — their veins were slashed, hands broken, and many were beaten and hung. “Even our young leader Sultan Salahuddin Tuku was not spared,” he added.

Despite such inhumane treatment, Fakhrul noted that none of the BNP leaders or activists ever surrendered or gave any written undertaking.