The Bangladesh Nationalist Party's youth rally came under fire after a group of "unruly activists", who converged at the rally, vandalized several murals symbolizing the Father of the Nation and the Liberation War in the port city of Chittagong.
According to CCTV footage, BNP activists, armed with sticks and rods, can be seen attacking murals in Chittagong.
Following the emergence of the CCTV footage, netizens, mostly youth, heavily criticized the BNP, raising questions about the party's stance on the ideals of the Liberation War that form the bedrock of Bangladesh, the youngest nation of South Asia.
"Looking at the video footage, I demand exemplary punishment to find the culprits and bring them to justice," wrote Khandakar Hossain.
"Is petrol bombing innocent citizens, destroying legacies of the liberation war, and orchestrating attacks on minorities how the BNP intends to engage with the youth?" another netizen questioned.
Since its birth, midwifed by the first military dictator, the BNP has been opposed to the ideals of the Liberation War and is reportedly whitewashing the legacy of war criminals.
Gen Ziaur Rahman embraced war criminals, promoted them on the political landscape, and introduced a culture of religion-based political doctrine, observed eminent researcher Syed Badrul Ahsan in an earlier piece.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Awami League, in a Facebook post, heavily criticized the BNP with footage of the vandalism, calling the act another manifestation of glorifying the Pakistani ideals that led to the rape and murder of millions in 1971.
"Now, five decades down the line, if the party seeks to allure the next generation of voters by glorifying war criminals, then it is an irony and a strategy that will surely lead to defeat," added Rahul, a Dhaka University student.
The Chittagong University unit of the Chhatra League has strongly condemned and protested against the vandalism of documents of the Liberation War and the portrait of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at Jamal Khan Square from the BNP rally in Chittagong.
The political policy of BNP-Jamaat is to harm people's lives and property, and to create terror and anarchy in the country, said protesters at a rally of the Chittagong North District Awami Jubo League.