BNP Election Steering Committee spokesperson Mahdi Amin on Thursday called the clash between BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami in Sherpur, which left one person dead, ‘unwarranted’ and called for a quick and impartial investigation.
“Why did one party occupy all the chairs before the scheduled time? Why were sticks and batons brought there? And why did that party’s candidate choose confrontation despite repeated requests?” he asked, stressing that these issues must be properly investigated.
Replying to journalists’ questions at a press conference at the BNP Election Office in Gulshan, Mahdi also said it should be examined whether the clash could have been avoided.
He said the Sherpur programme was organised by the local administration with the participation of all candidates, and seats were allocated for each party.
Mahdi, however, alleged that leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami occupied all the chairs and did not allow BNP leaders and activists to sit in their designated seats, despite repeated requests from the administration.
“Violence over such a minor issue like seating is in no way acceptable,” he said, adding that after the mass uprising, people expected an election atmosphere that would be festive, not violent.
Describing BNP as the country’s largest political party, Mahdi Amin said there is a widespread belief that if the election is free, fair and credible, BNP will come to power.
“Our main goal is to ensure a peaceful and controversy-free election so that no one can create instability around the polls. This is important not only for BNP, but for the country as a whole,” he said.
The BNP spokesperson said many questions have naturally arisen about how the Sherpur incident began, who was behind it, and why the administration and law enforcement agencies failed to keep the situation under control.
Referring to videos circulating on social media, he said they show repeated requests by police, administration officials, law enforcement agencies, the army and even BNP leaders asking the Jamaat candidate not to take a particular route.
“Despite that, he decided to go that way and was repeatedly heard saying, ‘Let life be lost if it must be,’” he said.
Mahdi Amin said the death of a person in the clash, regardless of political identity, is deeply regrettable.
He also said more than 40 BNP leaders and activists were injured, several of them critically.
Calling for stronger action from the administration and law enforcement agencies, the BNP spokesperson urged them to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.
He also appealed to all parties not to provoke others or fall into provocation and to ensure a peaceful and respectful campaign environment.
Mahdi said BNP has urged the interim government to ensure that such incidents are not repeated anywhere else in the country, adding that people expect all political parties to behave responsibly and democratically.
Responding to another question, he said the role of law enforcement agencies during the election must be strengthened and all political parties must fully cooperate with the administration.
About a recent procession in the Dhaka University area and what he described as propaganda involving BNP, Mahdi said creating baseless narratives over a minor and isolated incident to gain political advantage is unacceptable. “We want positive politics, not politics based on blame,” he said.
Mahdi said BNP’s top priority is to ensure a peaceful, credible and widely accepted election. “If democratic norms are upheld, Insha’Allah, we will all be able to strengthen democracy together,” he added.
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