Tarique Rahman’s house in Bogura undergoing renovation

Ending a long period of exile, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman is returning to the country, marking the beginning of a new chapter in national politics. He is set to contest the 13th parliamentary election from the Bogura-6 constituency, Sadar, triggering a festive mood among BNP leaders and activists in Bogura.

The nomination form in support of Tarique Rahman has already been collected. There is a strong possibility that he will run his election campaign from his home district of Bogura. This will be the first time he contests a parliamentary election, and that too from his home constituency.

Local BNP leaders said Tarique Rahman may stay in Bogura city during the election period and directly oversee campaign activities. For this reason, his house in the city is being renovated after 17 years. The house is not new to him, as he stayed there on several occasions in the past and used it as a base to manage party activities in Bogura and across the northern region.

Located on Riyaz Kazi Lane in the Sutrapur area of Bogura city, the four-storey house, named Green Estate, was built in 2000 on land provided by BNP chairperson’s advisory council member and former MP Helaluzzaman Talukder Lalu. Tareque Rahman stayed there intermittently between 2001 and 2007.

In 2007, during the one-eleven caretaker government, Tarique Rahman was arrested. His lawyer, Barrister A M Mahbub Uddin Khokon, later said he was subjected to brutal torture during remand.

On January 5 this year, during a hearing on the state’s leave-to-appeal petitions against the cancellation of four extortion cases against Tarique Rahman, Barrister Khokon told the court that he had been severely tortured in custody, leaving his spinal bone crushed beyond repair, despite his name not being included in those cases. Following the hearing, the Appellate Division dismissed the state’s petitions.

Subsequently, on September 11, 2008, Tarique Rahman was sent to London for advanced medical treatment, where he had been residing ever since. His return to the country remained uncertain for years. However, following the political changes after the August 5 movement in 2024, his return became only a matter of time.

According to BNP sources, Tarique Rahman is scheduled to return to Bangladesh on December 25. Renovation work on his Bogura house began shortly afterwards.

Attempts to contact former MP Helaluzzaman Talukder Lalu for comments were unsuccessful. However, his son, lawyer Saheduzzaman Siraj Bijoy, told Views Bangladesh that the house required some renovation after remaining unused for a long time. He said it was being cleaned and repainted, and nothing more.

He added that Tarique Rahman would stay in the house whenever he visits Bogura, as he did in the past.