Protest against death threat to Akhtar Hossain and his family members in Rangpur. BSS

RANGPUR, May 18, 2025 (BSS) - Hundreds of students and people have staged a protest in Rangpur city against death threats to National Citizen Party (NCP) member-secretary Akhtar Hossain and his family members.
 
They brought out a huge anti-fascist protest march under the banner of 'People from all walks in life' in the city demanding immediate arrest and trial of the terrorists of fascist Awami League and its associate bodies on Sunday evening.
 
The protest march circled around Azad Homeo Hall and the city's Ship Company intersection and ended at the Press Club square amid torrential rain. Sadia Farzana Dina, joint chief organizer of the NCP central committee, presided over the protest rally.
 
The speakers said that effective action against the culprits is essential to ensure a safe political environment. They reiterated the demand for the release of the "July Declaration", which is an outline of setting a security framework as demanded by the NCP.
 
Farzana said, "Fascism can have no place in this independent Bangladesh. Akhtar Hossain has been threatened to be killed through a flying letter. The NCP strongly protests this."
 
She demanded immediate identification of the terrorists to bring them under the law. "Otherwise, the NCP will take the public along and create resistance from the protest," she said.
 
NCP central committee organizer Abdul Munim forwarded four-point demands to the interim government from the protest rally.
 
The demands include suppressing the banned Awami League and its allies, stating that any kind of death threat is never appropriate for anyone, that the identities of those involved in character assassination, propaganda and rumors must be revealed and that the rights and security of the people must be ensured.
 
NCP central committee organizer Rafiqul Islam Kanak said Akhtar Hossain is the heartbeat of 180 million people.
 
"We think that threatening Akhtar Hossain through this flying letter is tantamount to threatening 180 million people. The terrorist who made this threat must be identified immediately and brought to justice," he said.
 
He said the friends of fascism must be banned within the next 30 days and brought under the law.
 
Rangpur district NCP organizer Engineer Sheikh Rezwan said, "The leader of the soil and people, the pulse of our hearts, the creative son of Rangpur, Akhtar Hossain, has been threatened with death. This is a threat for the people of Rangpur, too".
 
"Therefore, despite the torrential rain, everyone spontaneously took to the streets this evening to protest. The culprits must be identified immediately and brought to justice," Rezwan said.
 
NCP Rangpur metropolitan organizer Mohammad Alamgir said, "Akhtar Hossain, is not just a person but he is a national asset of our new Bangladesh. If we cannot protect this national asset, we will never be able to progress as a nation."
 
He said, "Therefore, the threat to kill Akhtar Hossain by sending a flying letter to him terrifies us. We want to inform the interim government of our decision, identify the criminals immediately and take appropriate action against them."
 
Addressing the interim government, Alamgir further said, "We have informed you of our decision, you take action, identify and ban the allies of fascism."
 
NCP Rangpur metropolitan organizer Alamgir Nayan said, "The threat of killing Akhtar Hossain means a conspiracy to keep us in suspense. We demand immediate arrest of the terrorist forces and their punishment. Otherwise, we will build a deeper movement."
 
NCP Rangpur district organizer Mustakim Billah, metropolitan organizer Ershad Hossain, Rangpur district and metropolitan conveners of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Imran Hossain and Imtiaz Ahmed Imty addressed the protest rally.