A local politician from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been suspended from all party posts after a video recorded inside a police station showed him verbally abusing and threatening a senior officer.
The altercation occurred at Naria Police Station in Shariatpur district on Monday night. Motiur Rahman, the organizational secretary of the Naria Upazila BNP, confronted the Officer-in-Charge (OC), Anwar Hossain, in his official chamber. A 37-second video recording of the confrontation soon went viral across social media, triggering public outrage and prompt political backlash. In the footage, Motiur Rahman can be seen warning the station chief that he would face the same fate as his predecessor, Bahar Mia, who was transferred from the post roughly two months ago.
The dispute stemmed from a conflict earlier that afternoon in the Noadda Banglabazar area. Motiur Rahman, an aspirant candidate for the chairmanship in the upcoming Union Parishad elections, attempted to erect an election campaign billboard on a plot of land. The landowner, Abu Taleb, objected to the installation, sparking an argument that escalated into a physical brawl. When Abu Taleb’s brother, Abdus Salam, arrived at the scene to intervene, he was also reportedly assaulted.
Following the scuffle, Motiur Rahman demanded that police arrest Abdus Salam in connection with an existing case filed under the Explosive Substances Act, which named 10 to 15 unidentified individuals. When officers refused to make an immediate arrest without proper verification, Motiur Rahman stormed into the station commander’s office.
The video captures Motiur Rahman accusing the police of detaining individuals arbitrarily while ignoring his designated suspects. Slamming his hand onto the desk, he threatened to escalate the matter to the Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Inspector General. As he walked towards the exit, he turned back and shouted, “If you let him go, you will end up on the exact same path Bahar took.”
Throughout the incident, OC Anwar Hossain remained composed, clarifying that Abdus Salam would only be remanded if an investigation confirmed his involvement.
Following the public uproar, the Shariatpur District BNP took immediate disciplinary action on Tuesday. A formal order signed by Muhammad Kamrul Hasan, Office Secretary of the district unit, confirmed Motiur Rahman’s temporary suspension, citing breaches of party discipline, unorganizational conduct, damage to the party’s image, and grave abuse of power. Shah Abdus Salam, Vice-President of the Shariatpur District BNP, condemned the outburst, reaffirming that intimidating public servants is completely unacceptable.
The incident sparked anger among local residents and shopkeepers in the Gharisar Market area, who organized a protest procession on Tuesday afternoon to demand justice for Abu Taleb and Abdus Salam while condemning political harassment.
Clarifying the situation, Additional Superintendent of Police (Naria Circle) Mohiuddin Miraj stated that preliminary inquiries confirmed the dispute was a minor physical altercation involving Abu Taleb, leading to Abdus Salam’s release. He added that the official threat against the station commander has been formally reported to higher authorities for further administrative action.
