Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) President Rakibul Islam Rakib on Thursday rejected comments made by BNP women’s reserved seat Nilufar Chowdhury Moni regarding the July Mass Uprising, describing them as "unwarranted."
In a post on his verified Facebook page, Rakib described Moni as a companion in the long anti-fascist movement, saying she had played a remarkable role in building a democratic Bangladesh. “But we are deeply hurt and angered by your unwarranted remarks on the July-August Mass Uprising during a recent television talk show. We strongly reject your comments."
He said they expect her to exercise greater restraint and show more respect when speaking about the July-August Mass Uprising.
The reaction came after Moni, also BNP self-reliance affairs assistant secretary, during a TV talk show, questioned who had used snipers during the July movement.
She said, "There are many things I want to say but cannot. If I speak, many people will be exposed. Those who speak today had meetings with the military and played different roles. No one really knows who the main actors in the movement were. The protesters themselves did not know each other. Someone walking beside you suddenly fell; you thought they had simply collapsed, but they had actually been shot. Many did not even know whether the bullets came from the front or behind. There was no sound, it was sniper firing."
When the program host asked whether it indicated a planned operation or conspiracy, Moni replied, "It was certainly planned. Whether it was a conspiracy, I cannot say."
Questioning who carried out the silent killings during the movement, she added, "No one knows who fired those shots. There were no police directly in the front. If the police had fired, the bullets would have come from the front. It is possible the shots came from buildings or upper floors. I still do not have answers to many of these questions."
