The Gono Odhikar Parishad has strongly condemned and protested what it described as a false allegation by the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) that Nurul Haque Nur incited unrest in front of the city corporation building after his preferred contractor failed to secure work.
In a statement sent to the media on Wednesday, by the party’s office secretary Shakil Uzzaman, Gono Odhikar Parishad claimed that DNCC Administrator Mohammad Azaz is unfit to hold such an important post due to credible evidence linking him to the banned organization Hizb ut-Tahrir and extremist networks, Bangla Tribune reports.
The statement referenced a recent Facebook post by investigative journalist Zulkarnain Saer, affiliated with Al Jazeera, which claimed that Azaz was previously arrested in 2015 on similar charges.
On this basis, the Dhaka Metropolitan North unit of Gono Odhikar Parishad organized a protest in front of the DNCC building, issuing a 48-hour ultimatum demanding Azaz’s removal and arrest.
The demonstration, according to the statement, received support from people of various walks of life.
The DNCC, however, issued a press release alleging that the protest was orchestrated by Gono Odhikar Parishad because a contractor favoured by Nurul Haque Nur was denied work—an accusation the party categorically rejected as “entirely false, baseless, and fabricated.”
According to Gono Odhikar Parishad, one of its members was the highest bidder in a tender process but was denied the project after refusing to pay a commission.
The statement alleged: “Upon raising the issue with Administrator Azaz, he advised the complainant to report it to the additional chief engineer. It was on Azaz’s own suggestion that Nurul Haque Nur was informed.”
The statement also referred to previous media reports, including incidents related to the Gabtoli cattle market, which alleged that Administrator Azaz only allocates work to individuals who are either commission-payers or personally favoured.
The party accused Azaz of spreading false and misleading claims against Nurul Haque Nur to divert attention from his own controversies.
It also alleged that on Tuesday, ahead of the scheduled protest, Azaz attempted to negotiate a settlement through financial offers, sending his uncle and several others to reach out to the party.
The statement alleged that Azaz himself had reportedly made numerous phone calls to Gono Odhikar Parishad leaders, all of which failed to deter the planned protest.
Gono Odhikar Parishad has called for the immediate removal of Mohammad Azaz from his post as DNCC administrator and demanded his swift arrest for alleged involvement with a banned outfit and corruption.
