National Citizen Party (NCP) lawmaker Nusrat Tabassum Joty on Sunday alleged that miscreants set fire to her family home in Kushtia and expressed doubt about the fairness of the investigation after the home minister's initial remarks on the incident.
Speaking in the House, the NCP MP said attackers set fire to her ancestral residence at Bagan village in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia on the night of Thursday.
"I have been wounded twice in this arson attack. First, when I saw my home burnt down, and second, when I saw esteemed colleagues in this august House try to downplay the sabotage against my family," she said.
Citing CCTV footage, Joty said flames engulfed the house simultaneously, and women and children could be seen running out and collapsing, unconscious from the smoke.
She said an electric light on a wall of the house was still on at the time, which she described as clear visual evidence against claims that the house was abandoned or that the fire was caused by a short circuit.
She said the word "abandoned" was used at least five or six times in the House. She added that she was not aggrieved by the description of her home as such, but wondered how the fire could have been committed differently even if the house had been abandoned.
Joty said remarks by a senior official responsible for law and order during an ongoing investigation could influence the probe, as subordinates might feel tempted to prepare reports to please their superiors. She stressed that she was not saying this would happen, but said she had doubts about a fair investigation.
She also said the perpetrators had celebrated and claimed responsibility on social media and had threatened her, yet were being spoken of in terms of being forgiven.
She noted a similar pattern of arson in Gopalganj on Sunday, where, she said, offices of the BNP's student and youth wings, Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal, were set on fire.
Demanding security for herself, her family and the frontline activists of the July uprising, Joty asked through the Speaker when and how she would get redress.
Responding, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad said all members of the House had expressed sympathy for her. He said the home minister had told the House that the matter would be investigated and action taken, and had already asked the superintendent of police to visit the spot and directed other law enforcement agencies to ensure a proper probe.
"Let us see the result. You will get another opportunity once the report comes. Let the law enforcement agencies do their work now," the speaker told her.
He added that the apprehension of an affected person that an investigation could be influenced was not unparliamentary. He also expressed hope that the government and law enforcement agencies would take stern steps, since the home of a member of Parliament had been attacked.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed responding to the allegation against him said the fire broke out around 12:20am on Thursday in a house beside the Kushtia residence where Joty's parents live.
He said he spoke to the director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the BGB director general and the district administration the following morning.
He said a probe committee had since been formed, headed by a deputy director of local government (DDLG). It includes a BGB officer of major rank, a police officer of assistant superintendent rank and an additional director of the Fire Service. The committee was given three days, with its term ending Sunday, and is due to submit its report Monday.
The minister said his earlier statement was based on preliminary findings, which had found no sign of petrol bombs. He said he had added that a short circuit could be possible, but had not made any conclusive remark. He maintained that the findings would be disclosed only after the investigation was complete.
Salahuddin said a goat had died in the fire and he had heard that cattle were also present. He acknowledged that people could have been in the house, saying he later saw video footage of a woman carrying a child out of the building. "All these will come under the investigation," he said.
He said Joty had filed a general diary (GD) and a case over the incident, and an investigation officer had been appointed for the case.
Regarding another GD she filed at Kalabagan police station on the same night over alleged threats by phone, he said the officer-in-charge could not yet provide details of the number used for the threats.
Objecting to Joty's remark that his statement could influence the investigation, the home minister said the expression should be expunged, as statements in the House are never made to influence any inquiry. He said any attack on a lawmaker or on lives and property would be dealt with strictly and without partisan consideration.