Milk Bath Marks Political Exit

A resident of Saghata Upazila in Gaibandha has announced his withdrawal from politics, citing years of frustration over what he describes as a failure to secure justice for the killings of close family members. Abdul Jalil Tota marked his decision with a symbolic milk bath, saying his priority is no longer political identity but accountability for the deaths of his relatives.

On Thursday (25 June), Abdul Jalil formally declared his departure from political life at his home after bathing in milk, an act he described as a symbolic cleansing from politics. The unusual protest has drawn considerable attention across the local community.

According to local sources, Jalil initially supported the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) before becoming involved in its grassroots political activities. During the 2026 general election, he campaigned for a BNP-backed candidate at the Kazi Azhar Ali Government High School polling centre and was also responsible for overseeing an election booth.

Explaining his decision, Jalil said the turning point was the repeated loss of family members to violent attacks, coupled with what he believes has been a prolonged failure to deliver justice.

He said his cousin, Mukul, was publicly killed on 5 July 2018, yet nearly eight years later the case remains unresolved. More recently, on 21 June, another cousin, Saifullah Bari, identified as a leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir, was also killed. Jalil said he has little confidence that justice will be delivered in that case either.

“The pain of losing family members again and again, along with years of experiencing impunity, has broken me from within,” he said. “I no longer want to remain part of a political culture that fuels division and bloodshed. The milk bath was a symbolic act to distance myself completely from politics. I simply want to live peacefully as an ordinary citizen.”

Jalil stressed that his appeal is not based on political affiliation but on his rights as a citizen. He called for those responsible for the killings of his relatives to be brought before the courts without delay and to receive exemplary punishment if found guilty under the law.

His decision has generated discussion in the area, with many viewing the symbolic protest as an expression of personal grief rather than a conventional political statement. Symbolic acts have occasionally been used in South Asian politics to communicate public frustration or moral protest, although such gestures rarely alter the course of legal proceedings. In this case, Jalil said his intention was to express his sense of despair over what he sees as continuing delays in obtaining justice.

The BNP, however, has distanced itself from Jalil’s announcement. Saghata Upazila BNP Member Secretary Selim Ahmed Tulip described the matter as an individual decision. He said Jalil does not hold any official position within the party, is not a member of any BNP committee, and is not currently involved in its organisational activities. As a result, he added, the party does not consider itself responsible for Jalil’s personal statements or his decision to leave politics.

The allegations regarding the lack of progress in the murder cases reflect Jalil’s own account. No response from the relevant investigating authorities or law enforcement agencies was included in the original report regarding the status of the cases.