BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday alleged that actress Pori Moni’s issue was brought to the limelight to divert people’s attention to a different direction from Khaleda Zia’s illness and the government’s failure to tackle the Covid situation.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion, he also questioned the seven-day remand of businessman Nasir U Mahmud in a case filed under the Narcotics Control Act.
Read: Pori Moni buoyed by police work, calls it 'magic'
“The main job of the current government is to deceive people and mislead them. Our journalist brothers are now very active over the Pori Moni issue. Who is Pori Moni? Can’t we understand it’s again a matter of diversion and misleading people?” the BNP leader said.
He said, “When there’re talks over Khaleda Zia’s illness and her release, the country’s democratic situation and the Health Ministry’s extreme failure, and when the Covid cases keep surging, this issue has been brought to the forefront.”
Fakhrul said it is only possible for Awami League to deceive people and play games with them. “They’re suppressing the entire nation resorting to this tactic.”
BNP’s national committee on celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the country’s independence arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club, marking the shutdown of all newspapers except four state-run ones on 16 June 1975.
On Monday, Nasiruddin Mahmud, former president of Uttara Club Limited, and four others were arrested from a Uttara flat in the capital following a case filed over his reported attempt to rape and kill actress Pori Moni.
Read: Another case filed against Tuhin Siddiqui Omi
Pori Moni, in her verified Facebook page, sought justice from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. "I’ve been physically assaulted and they even attempted to rape and kill me. I want justice," she stated in her post.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court placed Nasir and another co-accused Tuhin Siddique Omi on seven-day remand each in a case filed under the Narcotics Control Act.
Fakhrul said people have no security in the country as law enforcers are suddenly picking up people in different cases, including false ones.
“I don’t know how much of this incident (Pori Moni’s) is true and false. But seeing yesterday’s incident, I’ve got an impression that everything is now possible in this country. The case was filed for attempting to rape and kill. But he (Nasir) was remanded in a narcotics case,” he said.
Read: Pori Moni case: Police press drug-related charges against Nasir, four others
Fakhrul also said he could not understand the reason behind placing businessman Nasir on the remand in the narcotic case when he does not own the house from where the liquor and drugs were recovered.
“Many questions have now arisen. Whether the powerful people and ruling party can do whatever they want. Whether the administration can pick up any one as per their whims and can defame and ruin his/her social dignity and family reputation in this way,” he questioned.