Citing a video that reveals “armed BNP leaders and activists taking part in arson attacks and damaging vehicles in broad daylight” during the last sit-in program held at key entry points of Dhaka on July 29, Sajeeb Wazed, ICT affairs advisor to the Prime Minister, took a dig at BNP’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir who earlier denied BNP’s involvement in the violence that unfolded that day.
The video contains “real time footage of vandalism where attackers can be seen launching a spree of attack and arson on vehicles in the Ashulia area on July 29,” citing an investigation of a media outlet.
The video shared by Sajeeb Wazed on his social media account contains “appearance of at least two leaders of BNP’s associate bodies including Shahidul Islam, joint general secretary of Jubo Dal’s Dhaka district unit, and Md Suruzzaman, assistant organzing secretary of the same unit.”
The video was released by a media outlet, based on investigation from law enforcers, with testimony of the driver of one of the buses that was burned. The driver “recognised the attackers” and said, “I have suffered a great loss; I almost died that day.”
Following a case filed by the driver, police started an investigation and after ten days the attackers were arrested.
The video reveals a group of men armed with sticks and rods suddenly marching on the highway and attacking vehicles plying on the streets.
At one point they blocked a bus, beat up the driver and helper, and dragged them out of the bus.
As the driver and helper duo fled, a man from the group brought out an unidentified substance from a bag and set the bus on fire.
Also read: ‘Does media not have the right to speak the truth that goes against BNP?’ — Sajeeb Wazed asks
With the video, Sajeeb Wazed tweeted: “Mirza Fakhrul’s lies exposed by the media… Vid footage shows perpetrators of an arson attack on 29 July in Ashulia on the #Dhaka-Aricha highway. Among others, several #BNP leaders are seen involved in the rampage.”
Earlier, a post from AL’s verified page pointed out the presence of BNP’s student wing leader’s presence caught on camera when opposition activists “attacked police’s armored vehicles in Dhaka.”
The post contained a photo of Saif Mahmud Jewel, general secretary of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, wielding a bamboo stick, who apparently took part in another attack on the armoured police vehicles in the capital.
Moreover, a claim made from BNP’s verified twitter handle, holding AL activists responsible for “setting a bus on fire” – citing a report published by the daily Prothom Alo – was a “misrepresentation” as the report does not justify the claim, authorities and observers said.
A cropped excerpt from the report was added in the tweet but a detailed look at the report revealed no such comment was made by the driver that implicated AL activists in the arson.
Shawkat Hossain, Head of Online at Prothom Alo, told the daily Shomoyer Alo: “Readers are requested to authenticate information from our website instead of relying on posts shared by other sources on social media, attributing news published by us. The report published by us does not say who set the bus on fire.”