The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Friday expelled a local leader in Rajshahi after a video showed him beating a female college teacher with a shoe during an attack on an examination centre.
The expelled leader, Akbar Ali, a vice-president of Joynagar Union BNP in Durgapur upazila, was removed from all party posts, including his primary membership, over allegations of conduct against the party’s policies, ideals and discipline.
The expulsion notice was signed by BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
The incident occurred around 2:30pm on Thursday at Daokandi Government College in Durgapur upazila while the 2024 Degree second-year examinations were under way. The administration had imposed Section 144 within 100 yards of the college and surrounding areas, and police had been deployed since morning.
A video of the incident shows a man beating a female teacher with a shoe. He was later identified as a vice-president of Joynagar Union BNP.
Police, teachers, students and eyewitnesses said local BNP activists entered the principal’s room in the afternoon and argued with the principal and other teachers over several issues before attacking teachers and vandalising the college office.
Those injured included Principal Abdur Razzak, lecturer Aleya Khatun Hira, Professor Rezaul Karim Alam and two other staff members.
The injured teachers alleged that 40 to 50 leaders and activists from local and union-level BNP units and affiliated organisations took part in the attack. They named Akbar Ali; Afaz Ali, senior vice-president of BNP in Ward No. 2 of Joynagar’s Brahmapur village; Shahad Ali, a union BNP leader and fish trader; Zaynal Ali, president of Joynagar Union Krishak Dal; Ejdar Ali, president of Ward No. 4 Daokandi BNP; Rustam Ali, former vice-president of Joynagar Chhatra Dal; and Chhatra Dal leader Jaminur Islam Joy.
Principal Abdur Razzak said BNP activists had been demanding a large sum of money from him in groups since he took charge under a government order, adding that he did not know the activists well.
Aleya Khatun Hira alleged that BNP activists had repeatedly come to the college asking for accounts but were in fact attempting extortion. She said the principal had recently taken charge and did not align with any side.
“The principal had just taken charge, so he did not take any side. That was his fault. My fault was standing by him as a teacher and colleague,” she said.
Contacted for comment, Akbar Ali said he was unaware of the expulsion. He claimed local elders had gone to the area with invitation cards on Thursday, and a dispute broke out after a woman questioned why they had come and whether they were there to collect money.
Local BNP leaders, however, said Mozammel Haque, general secretary of the upazila Awami League, had served as principal of the college for a long time and was involved in widespread irregularities and corruption, including in teacher recruitment and the sale of college land and trees.
They alleged that the college authorities had repeatedly refused to provide accounts for that period and instead threatened them.
They further claimed that Aleya Khatun Hira first attacked them and slapped several activists, triggering the violence.
