BNP activists allegedly attack Sarjis Alam's car with bricks in Sylhet
In a Nutshell:
- Bricks were thrown at an NCP motorcade in Golapganj, damaging a vehicle carrying Sarjis Alam as the delegation left a July Uprising victims' programme.
- After the incident, Sarjis Alam alleged BNP activists were behind the attack, but Sylhet BNP denied the allegation and said it had adopted a zero tolerance policy against disrupting NCP events.
- Police said they dispersed the protesters, no one was injured and the NCP leaders left the area safely.
Why it Matters
The attack happened as NCP leaders were leaving Golapganj Municipality Auditorium after meeting families of those killed during the 2024 July Uprising. BNP has denied involvement and said it instructed members not to obstruct NCP activities. However, the latest incident is highlighting why police are not responding promptly to attacks on NCP members and what they stand to gain from acting as bystanders, as some people have claimed in video footage from the scene. Police maintain that they dispersed protesters, but the footage shows that NCP members felt they had not been protected despite several police cars being present.
What We Think
This is the second reported attack on NCP leaders in three days with NCP alleging its first convoy attack was carried out by BNP allied Chhatra Dal in Habiganj. First, the police harassment of NCP leaders at yesterday's sit-in event staged in Sreemangal and, now, police's lack of security measures to protect these same leaders from attacks is bringing up a question of where their allegiances lie. Videos from Sylhet show bystanders questioning why police vehicles were present without stopping the attack, with one person saying officers were "just observing the drama" while Sarjis Alam's vehicle, carrying two MPs and female members, came under attack. Whether that perception reflects what happened is now something only a transparent investigation can answer.
