Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan has said that law enforcement agencies played a positive role during the attack on the National Citizen Party (NCP) motorcade in Gopalganj on Wednesday.
He made the remarks on Thursday (July 17) while responding to questions from journalists after attending a workshop titled “Young Entrepreneurs, Investment, Policy, and Ecosystem” organized by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at Agargaon in the capital.
“From what I’ve seen, law enforcement agencies were able to safely evacuate everyone from the scene. I hope that those who were behind the incident and carried out the armed attack will be arrested under the leadership of the Ministry of Home Affairs,” he said.
Describing the Gopalganj attack as regrettable, Asif Mahmud stated:
“We’ve observed that various criminals from across the country have taken shelter there. A heinous incident occurred yesterday in Gopalganj. The people of Bangladesh are peace-loving, and such events are never expected. We want political activities to continue peacefully — that is our hope.”
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When asked about the boat symbol being listed with the Election Commission, he said:
“After the July uprising, it’s disheartening that we have to talk again in this very July about whether the boat symbol will remain. Even after the League has been banned, we still have to discuss it. That’s unfortunate.”
He added:
“The Election Commission is a constitutional institution. I’m speaking not as part of the government, but as a citizen — for those who sacrificed their lives in July, it is extremely insensitive. I urge the Election Commission to reconsider the matter.”
Asif Mahmud further said:
“The spirit of July, and the party and symbol that were used to deprive people of their voting rights, keeping that symbol in the Election Commission’s list is a direct contradiction of the spirit of the July people’s uprising.”
