The Compensation for Sohag’s Murder May Cost BNP a Heavy Price
- ১৪ জুলাই ২০২৫, ১৭:০১

The brutal manner in which BNP activists killed Sohag, a scrap dealer in Old Dhaka, will not fade easily from memory. The public may eventually want to forget, but history will not let them. The political compensation for Sohag’s murder may force BNP to pay a heavy price. Just as Awami League had to bear the burden of Biswajit and Abrar’s murders, BNP will also have to take responsibility for Sohag’s killing. Awami League, at least organizationally, managed to recover and stay in power, but whether BNP has that strategic capability remains a question. In my personal analysis, it will be extremely difficult for BNP to manage this damage.
Massive protests have taken place under the banner of “general students” at Dhaka University and BUET. From these protests, Tarique Rahman was abused in a vulgar manner. This made me realize that, although the protests were under the banner of “general students,” they followed the same old tactics. These are essentially Shibir and their B-team, NCP, hiding under the guise of ordinary students. If Sohag’s death mattered to them, they would have demanded justice for his murder, not hurled abuses at Tarique Rahman.
Let’s accept it: organizationally, Chhatra Dal lacks the capacity to handle Shibir and NCP. For the past 16 years, everyone except BNP has been actively engaged in politics in Bangladesh. Neither BNP nor Chhatra Dal could establish a foothold anywhere. Chhatra Dal’s existence was practically negligible! Meanwhile, Shibir, blending in with the League, continued its activities unabated, increasing its membership. Apart from the execution of a few top leaders, there’s no evidence that anyone touched their grassroots operations.
The production centers for Jamaat-Shibir, the madrasas, are still operational. Over the past 16 years, thousands of madrasas have sprung up across every nook and cranny of the country, in cities and ports. The Awami League government and its leaders provided financial support to these madrasas. In their greed to secure a place in paradise, their leaders built madrasas in the names of their parents or themselves. Most of the teachers in these madrasas are Jamaat-Shibir affiliates! Teachers have immense influence over students, and through this, they have influenced students in various ways.
If Awami League were still active, they could have handled Jamaat and their B-team, NCP. But the government has already closed that door. They used BNP to ban the League. The League wasn’t banned because of Hasnat and a couple hundred Shibir activists “occupying Shahbag”; it was banned when BNP gave the green signal.
On the other hand, after 16 years of suppression, BNP’s petty leaders have gone berserk. The central command of the party has failed to control them. The things they’re doing in villages and towns in BNP’s name would make anyone shudder. And the government has cleverly created this opportunity. How?
For the past 10 months, they haven’t arrested criminals. Instead, they’ve released top terrorists from BNP’s previous regime who were in jail. Those who were abroad were allowed to return. And the market is already flooded with looted weapons.
BNP sees this as the interim government’s weakness toward them. They think, “Oh, the government listens to us!” They believe the government is in their hands. In reality, this was a trap, and BNP has swallowed it. Now, with the trap tightening around their necks, they’re gasping for air.
When terrorists become active in the field, murders, robberies, and extortion begin. Naturally, BNP’s name comes up. Every murder incident is widely publicized in government-controlled media. The government’s bot army is always ready to amplify this on social media. The massive online force that created stunning photocards, short reels, and slogans during last July-August has become active again.
As another July arrives, with the emotions of last July haunting people, a massive party like BNP is struggling to manage its own house while seasonal birds sneak in and chirp loudly. Meanwhile, Jamaat has already selected candidates for 296 seats. Using all the government’s security arrangements, the king’s party is strengthening its organizational power. They’re roaming the country in a picnic-like mood, diving into rivers and swimming.
This July emotion will continue until August. For some reason, it feels like Bangladesh’s politics will drastically change in this one-and-a-half-month gap. July will become a long month for BNP.
Well done, interim government. You played very well!
Raju Norul: Author, Translator and PhD researcher in Belgium
Contact: raju_norul@yahoo.com