A wave of condemnation has swept across the country after Gono Odhikar Parishad president and former DUCSU vice president Nurul Haque Nur was brutally attacked in the capital’s Kakrail area on Friday night.
The interim government, political leaders across party lines and student activists have all denounced the assault, calling it a grave affront to the spirit of democratic movements.
In a strongly worded statement released Saturday afternoon, the interim government vowed that no one involved in the incident would escape accountability.
“Regardless of influence or position, all those responsible will be held to account. Justice will be delivered with transparency and urgency,” the statement said.
It also stressed that the attack was not just on Nur alone but on the very spirit of Bangladesh’s democratic struggle for justice and accountability.
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus personally spoke with Nur over the phone on Saturday, extending sympathy and assuring him of the highest level of medical care. Yunus even indicated that the government would facilitate treatment abroad if necessary.
“This heinous incident will be investigated through a judicial probe led by a High Court justice,” Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters outside the Chief Adviser’s Jamuna residence.
He confirmed that Yunus had convened a high-level meeting earlier in the day, attended by several advisers, the national security adviser, and special assistant Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, where the decision was made.
Reactions poured in from opposition leaders. BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman condemned the attack in a late-night Facebook post, wishing Nur a swift recovery and urging the government to launch a credible investigation.
“We are in a very fragile moment of democratic transition. Such destabilizing events must not be allowed to obstruct the path to national elections,” he warned.
Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Dr. AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad alleged that the attack was part of a conspiracy to “rehabilitate fascism” in Bangladesh, accusing remnants of the Awami League and its allies of orchestrating the violence. “Our longstanding warnings have been proven true — collaborators of Awami fascism remain embedded inside and outside the interim government,” he declared at a protest rally in Dhaka.
Hefazat-e-Islam leaders also issued a joint statement, sharply criticizing what they described as an attack involving “JaPa terrorists, police, and pro-fascist members of the armed forces.”
They demanded strong action against those responsible and called for the banning of the Jatiya Party, which they characterized as an instrument of Indian influence and Awami restoration.
Student groups at Dhaka University staged late-night processions in protest, rallying at the Raju sculpture and demanding an outright ban on JaPa.
“The way Nur bhai was beaten looks like a planned assault. It proves JaPa remains a proxy of the Awami League,” said Bin Yamin Molla, president of Bangladesh Chhatra Odhikar Parishad.
The attack has further heightened political tensions ahead of the upcoming parliamentary polls.
Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam confirmed that the Chief Adviser will meet separately with BNP, Jamaat, and the National Citizen Party (NCP) on Sunday to discuss the current situation and election preparations.
“The election environment exists. It will be held on time, in the first half of February before Ramadan. No force can stop it,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, video footage showing a man in a red shirt beating Nur has gone viral on social media, sparking outrage. Asked about the man’s identity, the press secretary said, “My understanding is that he is a police constable who was on duty. This is being investigated.”
The brutal assault on Nur — a key leader of the July Uprising and one of the most vocal critics of authoritarianism — has now become a lightning rod for debates about Bangladesh’s fragile democratic transition.
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