State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraque Hossain has announced his resignation, two days after a video showing him brandishing a firearm during an anti-drug drive in Dhaka went viral on social media.
Ishraque, the BNP lawmaker representing Dhaka-6, announced his decision at the Jatiya Press Club on Monday afternoon.
The controversy began after a video of the drive was posted on his official Facebook page on Saturday afternoon.
The footage shows Ishraque getting out of a vehicle carrying a loudspeaker and a pistol before chasing a group of people during an anti-drug drive near the railway line in the capital’s Gandaria area. At one point, he appears to point the weapon towards some people while shouting, “Hey, stop, stop.”
Another man in plainclothes is also seen chasing people with a weapon in his hand.
In a separate Facebook post on Saturday evening, Ishraque pledged to continue the drives until Dhaka-6 was free of drugs.
In a statement on Sunday, he said he had briefly raised his licensed firearm in self-defence during the drive on Saturday after receiving warnings of possible security threats.
He claimed that he and his security personnel had got out of their vehicles and raised their weapons when a group of 30 to 35 people allegedly approached their convoy aggressively near a suspected drug den.
Ishraque said law enforcement agencies and his own intelligence sources had warned him of possible security risks, including the possibility of drug traders firing at them from rooftops.
“The weapon was raised for a very short time in self-defence to protect lives and property amid fears of an imminent attack,” he said, adding that he put it away once the potential threat had passed.
Additional Police Commissioner of the Detective Branch Md Shafiqul Islam said on Sunday that Dhaka Metropolitan Police would take necessary action after reviewing the viral video.
Ishraque won the 2026 general election as the BNP candidate for Dhaka-6, securing 78,850 votes. He assumed office as state minister for Liberation War Affairs on February 17, 2026.