Tarique pledges change, but are his party men listening?

First, they beat him. Then they smashed his head and body with bricks and stones. They kept hitting him with iron rods, heavy sticks, and concrete blocks. At one point, they tore off his clothes. Some even jumped on him.

That's how they killed Lal Chand, also known as Sohag, 39. And after the killing, they cheered.

The most shocking part? Sohag and his murderers belonged to the same political party—BNP. These were not enemies or hired goons. For 339 days since the fall of the Awami League government, BNP had begun to earn back public trust. But in just a few moments of horror, its own activists demolished that fragile progress with their bare hands.

BNP had a historic opportunity. After years of repression, it emerged as the face of a growing mass movement. People were finally listening. There have been bouts of misgivings over the party's internal clashes, there have been fits of doubt when party cadres ran amok harassing people, vandalising businesses or purely extorting people. But this murder dealt a heavy blow to the party's reputation and this time again, it was BNP's own party members who were responsible.

After Sohag's death, students at a university in Dhaka held a protest where slogans erupted. These were not against the party. But against Tarique Rahman, BNP's acting chair. And these weren't isolated voices; the anger spilled across social media, spreading faster than any party memo ever could. At this moment, the BNP must stop defending the Sohag murder case.

Over the last 11 months, 77 party men have been killed and 3,653 injured in 323 incidents of internal clashes, according to Ain o Salish Kendra statistics.

How do they justify this?

How do you defend 77 lives lost to infighting? What does the party say about 3,653 injured due to internal violence? How do you explain away 323 incidents of party members attacking each other?

While Tarique has tried to present himself as a mature political leader since Awami League's fall, he now faces criticism for the gross misconduct, and at times complete thuggery, of his party members. Their quick expulsion, relating to the incidents that came to light, is not sufficient to deny responsibility. The party is bleeding from within, and the public is watching.

After weathering through years of persecution, BNP, the party hoping to lead Bangladesh's next government, now finds its gravest threat from within its ranks. It shows that party's face from London hardly has any effect on party cadres.

On 31 August last year, in a meeting with party leaders in Mymensingh, Tarique said: "BNP must protect the people now. So, every member should get ready."

"BNP is still the opposition. If we want people to trust us, our activists must speak and behave properly," he added. But why didn't Sohag's killers care? Why did they ignore Tarique's calls? Is it because they think no one is watching? Do they not consider Tarique as their leader? As for Tarique Rahman, why doesn't he control his party men?

These questions are growing in the public's mind. The top leaders are asking for discipline, but the people at the bottom are choosing to fight and break things. It's not just about age or different opinions anymore. Now, it's about saving the party.

And in the middle of all this, the party is slowly falling apart.

Does Tarique realise his activists aren't listening anymore? Does he understand that his leadership is being quietly defied across the country? Is he still in control? Or has he become a symbolic figurehead—revered in posters but irrelevant in practice?

There is one obvious question that comes to mind. If Tarique can't control his own men, how can he be trusted to run the country? It's high time Tarique takes control. If he can't control his own party members, and if his own men ignore his words, then his speeches hold no weight, his promises mean nothing, and his leadership becomes hollow.

We've seen it before: the attack on Patgram Police Station in Lalmonirhat, a rape in Bhola, a police officer dragged and beaten in Khulna. Again and again, BNP activists have been linked. These aren't isolated accidents. They're symptoms of a deeper decay.

After Sohag's murder, Jubo Dal expelled two members, Chhatra Dal expelled two, and Swechchhasebak Dal expelled one.

But is expulsion enough? The BNP has removed over 5,000 activists in recent months. Has anything changed?

These punishments look good on paper. But they don't cure the rot. At best, they're bandages. At worst, they're public relations stunts.

At this rate, the party may soon run out of cadres. That sounds like satire. But it's dangerously close to truth.

The time has come for BNP to decide: reform or implode? Tarique Rahman cannot claim to lead a nation if he cannot even command his own party. And a party that fails to protect its own people—from itself—has no right to ask for the people's trust.