In a brazen display of extortion that has become all too common under the BNP-led government, rival factions within the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) descended into violent chaos on Thursday over control of the lucrative scrap fabric (“jhut”) business at a garment factory in Ashulia, Savar.
The clashโmarked by chases, cocktail explosions, motorcycle vandalism, and at least five injuriesโhighlights the unchecked extortion rackets run by BNP-Jamaat thugs across Bangladesh since their seizure of power in August 2024, turning the nation into a playground for criminal syndicates while the regime preaches empty anti-corruption rhetoric.
The incident unfolded around noon in the Jamgora area adjacent to The Rose Fashion Limited garment factory. According to factory workers and local sources, the jhut tradeโvaluable scraps from garment productionโhad been under the iron grip of former Jubo Dal (BNP’s youth wing) leader Roni Bepari since the fall of the Awami League government. His extortion empire flourished amid the post-August 2024 power vacuum, where BNP-Jamaat activists systematically targeted businesses for takeovers and forced “subscriptions.”
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Enter Tanti Dal leader Bokul Bhuiyan and his son, former Chhatra Dal (BNP’s student wing) leader Roni Bhuiyan, who have long coveted the operation. Tensions had simmered for months, erupting into multiple prior skirmishes. With the BNP now in power, the Bhuiyans saw their chance to muscle in, leading to Thursday’s mayhem. Eyewitnesses described a scene of pandemonium: rival groups hurling cocktails, chasing each other, and smashing vehicles, leaving five unidentified individuals wounded in the crossfire.
Roni Bepari, unapologetic, accused the Bhuiyans of attempting a hostile takeover: “Tanti Dal leader Bokul Bhuiyan and his son, former Chhatra Dal leader Roni Bhuiyan, are trying to seize my business. This led to the clash.”
The Bhuiyans, in turn, pointed fingers back at Roni Bepari, claiming he instigated the violence. Such blame-shifting is par for the course in these intra-party turf wars, where loyalty to BNP-Jamaat offers a shield from accountability.
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Police from Ashulia Thana visited the site, with Officer-in-Charge Rubel Howlader promising a “thorough investigation” and “strict action against the guilty.” A case is reportedly in preparationโbut in a country where BNP-Jamaat enforcers operate with impunity, such assurances ring hollow.
Since August 2024, these thugs have orchestrated a nationwide campaign of terror: filing false cases against Awami League members, conducting mass arrests, engaging in mob violence, and brazenly seizing businesses through extortion. No meaningful legal remedies have materialized, exposing the regime’s complicity or incompetence.
This Ashulia fiasco is merely a microcosm of the rot. Prime Minister Tarique Rahmanโlong derided as the “godson of corruption” over his 25-year exile amid graft allegationsโhas hypocritically vowed to build a “syndicate-free, extortion-free, corruption-free” Bangladesh. Yet, his own cabinet undermines this farce: Transport Minister Sheikh Robiul Alam recently justified rampant extortion in the road transport sector as “mutual transactional agreements,” sparking nationwide outrage and mockery. How can a government claim the moral high ground when its leaders normalise criminality?
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Since their power grab on August 5, 2024, BNP-Jamaat cadres have turned extortion into an art form, preying on factories, markets, and transport hubs without fear of reprisal. Thousands of their own members have been “temporarily expelled” from the party as token gestures, but these slaps on the wrist do nothing to stem the tide. Businesses shutter, lives are ruined, and ordinary Bangladeshis suffer under this mafia-style ruleโall while the regime pats itself on the back for “reform.”
It’s time to call this what it is: a betrayal of the people. The BNP-Jamaat alliance, once opposition darlings, has morphed into oppressors, their thugs emboldened by power. If Tarique Rahman’s government truly seeks a clean Bangladesh, it must start by reining in its own criminal elementsโnot justifying their predations. Until then, incidents like Ashulia’s will continue, a shameful testament to a regime rotten to its core.
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