Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Rumeen Farhana, who represents the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency (Sarail, Ashuganj and part of Bijoynagar), was involved in a heated exchange with Manzur Kader Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sarail Police Station, on Thursday evening.
The incident took place in the OC’s office in the presence of the leaders and activists supporting the MP.
Rumeen Farhana’s supporters said tensions had developed between the MP and the OC over the past few days. They alleged that the OC did not respond to calls from the MP or her personal assistant (PS), Zakir Hossain, and did not even answer their phones.
They also said the MP had sought security from the OC but did not receive it. Against this backdrop, Rumeen Farhana went to Sarail Police Station with her supporters at around 7:30 pm on Thursday.
Several videos showing the heated exchange between the two sides inside the OC’s office have spread on Facebook. One of the three circulating videos is 7 minutes and 8 seconds long, another is 57 seconds, and the third is 2 minutes and 23 seconds.
The videos show OC Manzur Kader Bhuiyan seated in his office, with Rumeen Farhana sitting beside him. The MP’s supporters are gathered around the OC’s desk.
The MP, her personal assistant and her supporters question the OC on various issues. They argue with him over his alleged failure to answer repeated phone calls from the MP and his failure to provide her with security.
At one point, Rumeen Farhana alleges that the OC takes money from brick kilns, illegal soil extraction and sand mining. The heated exchange continues.
The OC eventually calls the superintendent of police (SP) to report the situation. He mentions the possibility of mob behaviour and shows the people present in his office to the SP over a video call. When the MP asks to speak to the SP, however, the OC does not respond.
During the exchange, Rumeen Farhana tells the OC, “When you say that she should arrange her own security through her people, that means you will not provide it.”
The OC replies, “That is only natural. Our honourable prime minister walks around on the streets like this...” Rumeen Farhana then says, “You were a big Awami League supporter. Yes, sir, I know your history.”
‘From now on, I will travel with 10,000 people’
Asked about the incident, Rumeen Farhana told Prothom Alo, “There are various allegations against him [the OC]. I went to discuss these matters and took a list with me. He did not comment at all. It was a two-page list detailing which offence had occurred on which date. He could not provide any satisfactory answers.”
Responding to the allegation that she had created a mob, the MP said, “A mob usually goes to a police station to snatch an accused person from custody. Did I snatch any accused person? That is the first question. Did I demand money from him? That is the second. Did I tell him he had to give me anything? That is the third. I did none of these three things. So how was this a mob?”
Raising further allegations against the OC, Rumeen Farhana said, “During Durga Puja, the police provided me with security in Ashuganj and Bijoynagar, but not in Sarail. My personal assistant called him 12 times, but he did not answer. He said I had to arrange my own security. I have arranged it myself. From now on, I will travel with 10,000 people.”
‘She created a disturbance at the police station with hundreds of people’
Asked about the incident, Sarail Police Station OC Manzur Kader Bhuiyan told Prothom Alo, “The honourable MP came here with hundreds of people and created a disturbance inside the police station, causing an unsettling situation in my office. It was embarrassing.”
Regarding the alleged lack of security, the OC said, “We made overall security arrangements for Durga Puja. If she wants a personal security officer, that is a separate matter. It was impossible for me to assign a team to accompany her at that time.”
Accusing the MP of creating a mob, the OC said, “She constantly pressures me not to arrest Awami League members. I have documented this. She came here in a furious state. All the allegations she has made against me are false.”