Staff Reporter:
Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has made it clear that misconduct by party members will not be tolerated, as reserved-seat MP Ferdousi Ahmed Mishti resigned from parliament on Thursday on his directive amid allegations of her involvement in the attack, looting and vandalism at the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur, Dhaka.
The BNP also dissolved three committees and expelled 14 leaders over the incident. Mishti denies involvement, and an investigation is underway.
Party sources said the chairman directed party leaders and the administration to act against those found guilty regardless of political identity, in line with the BNP’s “zero-tolerance policy” against wrongdoing.
They said he is firm that no one will be spared, even members of his own party, in order to protect the image of the party and the government.
Action across party and administration
The BNP dissolved the convening committee of its Dhaka north city unit, the Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal committee of the same unit, and the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal committee of the Dhaka west unit. It also expelled 14 leaders of the BNP, Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal and Sramik Dal from their posts.
The party notices cited disciplinary violations, irregularities and unethical activities and did not mention Radda. The decisions followed reports that local BNP leaders and activists were involved in the attack.
The government also acted on the administrative side. It withdrew the officer-in-charge of Shah Ali Police Station over alleged negligence and started departmental proceedings against him.
Resignation and vacancy
A Prime Minister’s Office source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the prime minister asked Mishti on Wednesday night to submit her resignation, failing which the party would take disciplinary action under its organisational rules.
BNP sources said the government investigated the allegations against her before the order was given.
Mishti met Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad at the parliament complex and submitted her resignation in the afternoon, ending her tenure in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad.
The speaker later confirmed receipt. Asked whether the letter cited a reason, he said parliamentary practice does not require an MP to give one.
A gazette notification, signed by Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat Secretary Barrister Md Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan, declared Women Seat-23 (seat No. 323) vacant from 1 October under Article 67(2) of the Constitution.
Copies have been sent to the Election Commission (EC) and other authorities.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said a by-election would be held within 90 days of the resignation. If only one candidate files, he or she will be elected unopposed. The seat will go to the party or alliance to which it was originally allocated.
Mishti was one of 36 BNP-alliance candidates elected to reserved women’s seats. The gazette on their election was issued on 10 April, and they took their oaths on 3 May. She stepped down within five months.
Home minister: Legal process separate
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said a charge sheet would be filed against Mishti if the investigation finds preliminary substance in the allegations.
“If a charge sheet is filed, she will have to face the jurisdiction of the court and come under the law,” he said. He added that party action was an organisational matter, separate from the legal process.
“Until then, it would not be appropriate for us to say anything against an honourable member of parliament unless the allegations against her are established through investigation,” he said.
A day earlier, he had said investigators were examining whether a local MP was involved. “We will spare no one in this regard if any involvement is found,” he said.
Reactions
Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, called the steps “the most appropriate and timely response” to the embarrassment faced by the ruling party and the government.
He said they should mark the start of a broader action plan and urged a comprehensive code of conduct for public representatives at all levels, enforced with zero tolerance.
Prof Sabbir Ahmed of Dhaka University’s political science department said the prime minister “had no alternative” but to act.
“The prime minister has taken a good decision and set an example in the country. If he continues, it will be evaluated positively,” he said. He added that it was too early to say whether the move was “merely eyewash or a genuine commitment to accountability.”
Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, MP, told the Daily Sun the party viewed the prime minister’s decision positively as a step towards restoring the rule of law. He urged the ruling party to compensate those affected.
Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman said on Facebook that the government and ruling party had been “compelled” to take organisational action.
“Organisational action alone is not enough for such a serious wrongdoing,” he wrote, calling for legal action and strict punishment. He also urged the government to rebuild the health centre.
On social media, many users welcomed the action, while others called for a free and fair investigation and exemplary punishment.
The attack
The Radda centre has served low-income residents of Mirpur since 1974. It was attacked late on 24 September, when around 200 people allegedly entered with local weapons and heavy machinery.
They allegedly demolished a tin-shed structure and three semi-pucca buildings and damaged several rooms of the main building. They also allegedly took medicines, vaccines, medical equipment, furniture and computers.
The dispute centres partly on ownership and use of the land. A cooperative association had applied to the housing and public works authorities for its allocation.
Mishti signed the application as the association’s president in 2006, when she was councillor of Ward No. 8 under Shah Ali police station.
