Opposition Chief Whip and National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam on Saturday alleged that a national cricketer was abducted and tortured in Chittagong due to the absence of policereform whilee sharplycriticizingg the national budget and governance structure.
He made the remarks at a divisional rally of an 11-party alliance held at Lal Dighi Maidan in Chittagong city, organized to demand implementation of a referendum verdict, relief from public suffering, improvement in law and order, and control of commodity prices.
“The prime minister has felt upset over the opposition’s criticism of the budget in Cox’s Bazar, but why should we praise it? This budget does not include any way to stop corruption, plundering and bank occupation."
Nahid said. “There is no accurate account of how much of this budget will be spent on public development and how much will go into the pockets of ruling party leaders and activists.
This is a reality-detached budget, which will require borrowing hundreds of thousands of crores of taka from different countries for implementation. If good governance, transparency, and reform are not ensured in the country, this corruption and plundering will not stop,” he added.
Nahid also alleged that banking sector control was being manipulated. “Currently, the bank takeover has begun, and arrangements are being made to hand over Islami Bank again to S Alam. The people of Bangladesh know who received reception riding in S Alam’s vehicle and who are providing him protection. The people will not accept this kind of takeover under any circumstances,” he said.
Referring to the alleged incident involving national cricketer Nayeem Hasan, he said, “To develop the country, police, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the judiciary must be reformed in line with the referendum verdict. Friday, in Chittagong, a cricketer was picked up by DB police and tortured.
Because the police have not been reformed, oppression of people has started again. The cricketer was taken to the police station and beaten. If the government again moves towards authoritarianism, then the people will also have to move towards a mass uprising.”
He further alleged that a Bangladeshi citizen was killed at the Maulvibazar border after the arrival of a new Indian High Commissioner, saying tensions at the border reflect long-standing geopolitical issues. “We want to clearly say that no friendship is possible at the border through barbed wire and bullets.
The air and land of Bangladesh and India are not the same; this was settled in 1947. It has been proven repeatedly in 1947, 1971, and 2024 that no hegemonic force will be allowed to survive in Bangladesh,” he said.
The rally was attended as chief guest by Opposition Leader and Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman and chaired by LDP Chairman Colonel (Retd) Oli Ahmed. Other speakers included Chittagong-15 MP Shahjahan Chowdhury, Jamaat central assistant secretary general Muhammad Shahjahan, NCP chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, National Democratic Party spokesperson Rashed Pradhan, Amar Bangladesh Party general secretary Asaduzzaman Fuad, Bangladesh Development Party chairman A K M Anwarul Islam, and 11-party alliance coordinator and Jamaat assistant secretary general Hamidur Rahman Azad, among others.