Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern and resentment over three recent incidents, noting that a culture of arbitrariness, corruption, irregularities, and impunity is re-establishing itself, and the government will have to bear responsibility for it on many fronts.
“TIB, therefore, strongly demands that authorities properly investigate each of these incidents without delay and that those responsible face exemplary punishment,” TIB said on Sunday.
Reliable media sources claim that the violent looting, vandalism, and encroachment of the RADDA MCH-FP Center occurred at midnight in the presence of police, with the support of a Member of Parliament (MP) from a reserved seat. There was also a dispute within the local BNP over control of a jalmahal (water body) in Kishoreganj that resulted in over fifty injuries, as well as the vandalism of a content creator's office.
These incidents are not isolated but an ominous sign for the government and the ruling party, TIB said. The organisation called for exemplary accountability for those involved and a nationwide self-purification drive within the party.
In a statement, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman described the looting, vandalism, and encroachment of RADDA MCH-FP as an embarrassing example for the government and the ruling party.
"This nonprofit organization has been providing healthcare to underprivileged and vulnerable mothers and children for fifty years. It has now been demolished before hundreds of people, under the patronage of a reserved-seat Member of Parliament and in the presence of police,” he said.
For its citizens, Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, what kind of example is the ruling party providing? “This party received a historic electoral mandate following the violent July uprising that overthrew an authoritarian kleptocracy. What message do its leaders and activists convey to the citizens through such actions? The reckless conduct of the previous authoritarian government is still fresh in public memory. In this context, have the BNP’s policymakers ever thought of the consequences of the continuing encroachment and extortion of a large section of the party’s leaders and activists?”
Dr Iftekharuzzaman said since August 2024, after the fall of the authoritarian kleptocracy, a section of the leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has claimed the mantle of victory.
Since then, he said, they have faced widespread allegations of encroachment, extortion, and efforts to establish dominance across the country.
“With the political change, many of the party's leaders and activists at different levels, including the grassroots, began acting recklessly. The media, observers, and political circles have expressed concern about this issue. Immediately after the fall of the Awami League government, extortion and encroachment changed hands, and a section of BNP leaders and activists turned the situation into a free-for-all,” Dr Iftekharuzzaman.
He said such incidents happened at major bus terminals, including Sayedabad, Mohakhali, and Gabtoli in Dhaka, and those in Chattogram, Sylhet, and Khulna.
These incidents also occurred on footpaths, in markets, in water bodies, at sand mills, in local bazaars, within cable and internet connection services, in waste collection businesses, and at both the upazila and union levels, he added.
“This has frequently resulted in internal sabotage and an unhealthy rivalry that has blatantly turned violent. Daily, monthly, and one-off extortion has continued. Moreover, a minister of the government has repeatedly declared that "extortion is not corruption, but a negotiated transaction," and the government has taken no action in response to this position. As a result, these incidents are occurring more frequently, normalizing extortion and encroachment. This is an ominous sign for the government,” Dr Iftekharuzzaman said.
TIB's Executive Director also cited the clash between two factions of the local BNP over the possession of a water body in Kishoreganj and the vandalism of a creative studio.
He said these are not isolated incidents and they are simply a continuation of events that have taken place since August 2024.
“They are sufficient to overshadow all of the government's good deeds and initiatives and to give the public a bad impression. The ruling party must honor its anti-corruption electoral commitments and take effective self-purification measures right now. If it does not, it will lose the chance and ability to control such encroachment and extortion in the future, even if it wants to. At least, that is what examples from the recent past tell us. The situation may worsen if vested interest groups fail to maintain their control, and it may be too late to take action."
In some cases, TIB said such misconduct has embarrassed the party’s senior leadership, prompting them to take organisational measures, including expulsion. However, stronger preventive strategies are lacking.
“At the same time, those involved in these abuses of power are directly or indirectly affiliated with the ruling party, which has left law enforcement agencies unable to take effective action.”