Md. Lovelu Sheikh, Lalmonirhat

Intense panic gripped Kaliganj town on Thursday following counter-marches and confrontational processions brought out by two rival factions of the BNP.

The local party structure is sharply divided between Rokanuddin Babul, the incumbent Member of Parliament for the Lalmonirhat-2 (Aditmari-Kaliganj) constituency, and his brother Jahangir, who serves as the Upazila BNP Convenor. Locals report that whenever the strategic interests of either brother's faction are compromised, ordinary citizens, grassroots activists, and public administrative officials are subjected to harassment and embarrassment.

The latest bout of instability was triggered after the Kaliganj Thana Police detained an individual named Ramjan Ali. According to police sources, Ramjan was tracked down because he was an active member of a WhatsApp communication group operated by the local Awami League Vice President, Principal Ajijar Rahman—a digital space strictly utilized by Awami League affiliates. Because Ramjan happens to be a relative of Upazila BNP Convenor Jahangir, his arrest infuriated the Jahangir-led faction, prompting an immediate and aggressive backlash from his supporters.

In immediate protest of the detention, Jahangir’s followers, spearheaded by Azad Babu and Upazila BNP Joint Convenor Mukta, staged a human chain and a large protest rally, followed by an official press conference. During these demonstrations, the protesters openly labeled Kaliganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abu Siddique as a collaborator of the fallen Awami League regime. They leveled heavy allegations against the OC, branding him a deeply corrupt official, a bribe-taker, and the mastermind behind a local narcotics syndicate. They further accused him of running a corrupt case business by wrongfully implicating innocent people under alternative charges after detaining actual drug peddlers, claiming his actions have caused a severe deterioration of local law and order and demanding his immediate ouster.

Barely an hour after the first protest concluded, a counter-procession swept through the streets of Kaliganj town under the leadership of MP Rokanuddin Babul's loyalists.

This rally was organized by Upazila BNP Joint Convenor Shamsuzzaman Sabuj and close associates of the lawmaker, who turned the tables by branding the rival Jahangir faction as the actual Awami League collaborators. Shamsuzzaman Sabuj stated that no concessions will be given to Awami League collaborators, claiming that those who actively engaged in Awami League politics in the past are now trying to exploit the BNP's name to plan acts of sabotage in the area, and asserting that his group is fully prepared on the ground to resist them. Adding to the friction, Helal, a BNP leader from Baninagar, claimed that Jahangir’s group had publicly campaigned and voted for Jamaat-e-Islami in past elections, meaning they no longer possess any moral right to identify themselves as mainstream BNP members.

The long-standing internal feud between the two influential brothers has deeply embarrassed local government and police administrative staff. Speaking on condition of anonymity, multiple civil and police officials expressed that they find themselves in extremely awkward positions while executing daily public duties due to the constant toxic polarization. Thursday's counter-protests highlighted the depth of this divide as the opposing rallies caused widespread anxiety across the town.

Addressing the political turmoil, veteran politician and former BNP lawmaker Salehuddin Helal urged for immediate restraint and unity.

He stressed that the party faces massive challenges ahead and everyone must cooperate with the vision of how head of government Tarique Rahman intends to steer the nation forward. He called such long-drawn internal chaos completely unacceptable and urged the party high command to take swift disciplinary action against the troublemakers, while expressing his personal readiness to step in and play an active role to muffle and resolve the internal dispute permanently if required.

Commenting on the challenges of field-level policing amidst such deep political divides, Lalmonirhat District Superintendent of Police (SP) Md. Asaduzzaman acknowledged that the internal friction hampers law enforcement activities.

The SP noted that since every action has two sides, it is practically impossible to please both factions simultaneously, as a lawful action satisfying one side prompts the rival group to instantly assume the police acted out of illegal favors or biases.