Hasnat Abdullah regrets over Brahmanbaria remarks amid mounting pressure

Amid mounting pressure, National Citizen Party (NCP) southern region chief organiser and Cumilla-4 MP Hasnat Abdullah has expressed regret over a misunderstanding with the people of Brahmanbaria caused by his remarks in parliament.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Hasnat Abdullah said, “I regret that the statement I made in parliament seeking accountability from the home minister over the deterioration of the law and order situation created a misunderstanding with the people of Brahmanbaria.”

He said the home minister had recently remarked that music and cinema were “almost banned” in Brahmanbaria, which, according to Hasnat, shifted the blame for the ministry’s failure onto local people and Islamic scholars.

Referring to an incident surrounding a police concert in Brahmanbaria, Hasnat said the reality was different from how it had been portrayed in the media.

According to him, madrasa students had asked for the volume to be lowered as loud music late at night was disrupting the studies of examinees. An argument later broke out between police and the students, and several students were injured in police baton charges.

“The madrasa students did not stop the concert. They only asked for the sound to be lowered,” he said.

Hasnat also admitted making a factual error in parliament while referring to a boat race.

“I mistakenly said Brahmanbaria instead of Sylhet. I am embarrassed by the unintended misunderstanding caused by this error,” he said.

He said the time limit for a supplementary question had prevented him from explaining the full context of the incidents.