Musabbir murder aimed at destabilising interim government

The killing of Swechchhasebak Dal leader Azizur Rahman Musabbir was carried out to put the interim government in a difficult position, BNP leaders said yesterday, issuing a 24-hour ultimatum to arrest the perpetrators.

They warned that failure to arrest the culprits within the time frame would indicate a lack of sincerity on the part of the interim government.

Protesting the murder and demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible, Swechchhasebak Dal announced countrywide protest marches in districts and metropolitan areas on January 10.

“Such horrifying incidents are being repeatedly carried out to put the interim government in a difficult position. So, there is no alternative to suppressing these miscreants with a firm hand,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a press release yesterday evening.

“After the fall of the Awami autocratic regime through the student-led mass movement, miscreants have once again become active in creating chaos and instability in the country,” he said, calling Musabbir’s killing an example of conspiracy.

Fakhrul said to establish democracy and protect people’s voting rights, all sections of society must remain united, warning that allies of “Awami fascists” pose a threat to the country’s existence.

Earlier in the day, Musabbir’s namaz-e-janaza was held in front of BNP’s central office in Nayapaltan around 2:30pm, attended by a large number of party leaders.

Speaking to reporters before the janaza, BNP Joint Secretary General Habib-Un-Nabi Khan Sohel expressed concern over the repeated killings of party activists and reiterated the 24-hour ultimatum to arrest the perpetrators.

“I urge the government to take effective action. Mere assurances will not solve the problem,” he said.

Sohel added that under the leadership of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, the party’s struggle to establish a people’s government will not be halted by any murder.

Dhaka Metropolitan North BNP Convener Aminul Haque said Musabbir’s killing was part of a plot to sabotage the upcoming election and destabilise the country.

Swechchhasebak Dal Senior Vice Chairman Yasin Ali said tougher programmes would be announced if the killers were not arrested within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed said some “isolated incidents” are taking place, but they will not derail the election.

“This could be a conspiracy of fallen fascist forces trying to disrupt the election and make the path to democracy harder. But their efforts will never succeed. The people of this country are determined and committed to bringing back democracy,” Salahuddin said in front of the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office yesterday morning.

Musabbir, former general secretary of Dhaka City North Swechchhasebak Dal, was shot dead by unidentified assailants on Wednesday night.