NCP Leaders Express Outrage Over Bottle-Throwing Incident

Leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) have expressed outrage over the incident where a water bottle was thrown at interim government Information Advisor Mahfuj Alam while he was attempting to speak with protesting students of Jagannath University.

The incident occurred on Wednesday (May 14th) night in front of the Kakrail Mosque in Dhaka when a plastic water bottle was thrown at him during a conversation.

NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain wrote on Facebook, "I condemn this, and also those who are celebrating it. The attacker's intention is still unknown. It should be investigated. 

There is no justification for this attack. The culprit should be brought to justice. At the same time, the legitimate demands of the Jagannath University teachers and students should be implemented quickly."

Sarjis Alam, the NCP's Chief Organizer for the northern region, posted on Facebook, stating, "Mahfuj Alam is not an education advisor, nor is he associated with any responsible institution related to the demands of Jagannath University. Yet, he went there as a representative of the student-citizen uprising. As your representative. He came to you on the streets, instead of calling you to his office or administrative place. And for the treatment he received, I condemn you. You should have held the education secretary accountable for why the promised work was not implemented. You should have demanded answers from the education advisor. Instead, you attacked the person who came to listen to you!"

Sarjis Alam mentioned that a representative of the Jagannath University students contacted him, and he immediately informed Mahfuj Alam. "He gave you time for a meeting at nine tonight and also said he would arrange a meeting with the education advisor tomorrow. He also said that if the desired solution to the problems is not found in these two places, he would arrange a meeting with the chief advisor. Despite this, you proceeded with your own program. The biggest weakness of some civil advisors in the interim government is their fear of dealing with the public. In such situations, student advisors are pushed forward for public dealings, even if they are not from the relevant ministry."

Hasnat Abdullah, the NCP's Chief Organizer for the southern region, protested the bottle-throwing incident on Facebook, saying, "As a state representative, Mahfuj Alam went to solve the problem. Physically assaulting him is unacceptable. It is important to remember that he came to you because of your representative demands. But such aggressive and reckless behavior will not yield positive results in the future, but will only question the credibility of the democratic movement. I don't know if Mahfuz Alam will take legal action. However, the movement's leadership should publicly apologize and ensure that such disgraceful behavior does not happen again."

Hasnat Abdullah also wrote, "Criticism is a democratic right, but physical assault is barbarism, and there is no reasonable explanation for it. On the other hand, the interim government's behavior is also suspicious. By pushing student advisors in front of all public demands, the advisors of the relevant ministries are clearly avoiding their responsibilities. The interim government must also clarify why appropriate steps have not been taken regarding the repeated assurances given to Jagannath University students."

Abdul Hannan Masud, the NCP's Senior Joint Chief Coordinator, posted on Facebook, "What you did to Mahfuz Alam today is the worst thing that could have happened! There may be differences of opinion, but remember, Mahfuj Alam is our brother. Don't dare to harm our brother's honor..."

Anik Roy, the NCP's Joint Convener, demanded justice for the police attack on Jagannath University students' movement and wrote, "But I strongly condemn the incident of throwing bottles at Mahfuj Alam. At the same time, I thank him for having the courage to come and talk to the students. But if the relevant ministry had been active, this incident would not have happened today. I do not believe that any ordinary student would do this. It is probably the work of those who sabotage by hiding among the common people."

Another Joint Convener, Sarowar Tushar, wrote, "It is necessary to investigate whether the attacker on Information Advisor Mahfuj Alam has any political affiliation."