Kushtia:Dhaka Chaotic scenes erupted in Parliament on Thursday as ruling and opposition lawmakers engaged in repeated heated exchanges over the fire at the house of opposition MP Nusrat Tabassum in Kushtia, disrupting the proceedings and forcing Deputy Speaker to intervene several times.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the disorder broke out when Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam accused Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed of denying the possibility of an arson attack and shielding those responsible for setting fire to the house. Nahid stated that video footage circulating on social media clearly showed an object being thrown from outside, followed by the house suddenly catching fire.
Nahid rejected the Home Minister's earlier claim that the house was abandoned, asserting that people, including the caretaker's family and relatives of Nusrat Tabassum, had been staying there. He also claimed that Tabassum had received repeated threats over the phone in recent days and had filed a general diary (GD) with police two days before the incident. Furthermore, Nahid accused the Kushtia unit of the Awami League of accepting responsibility for the fire and criticized the government's lack of action in identifying and arresting those responsible.
In response, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed submitted a statement supported by information, photographs, and video footage about the incident, which occurred around 1220 am on Wednesday night. He questioned Nahid's assertion that the house had been set on fire deliberately, noting that the investigation had not yet been completed. Salahuddin outlined that an inquiry committee comprising representatives of the fire service, civil administration, police, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) had been formed to investigate the incident.
The Home Minister described the house as an abandoned property not occupied by the MP, where two goats were kept, and mentioned that the MP's parents lived nearby. He assured that investigators had collected evidence to determine the cause of the fire and stated that a GD had been filed at the local station. He invited the opposition MP to provide details if an earlier complaint had been lodged before the incident.
The exchanges grew increasingly heated as opposition lawmakers, particularly Hannan Masud, repeatedly interrupted the minister's speech. Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal, who was in the chair, urged lawmakers to maintain order and reminded them of parliamentary rules requiring members to allow speakers to finish before responding.
Salahuddin criticized some lawmakers for not following parliamentary conventions and emphasized the importance of waiting for the investigation to conclude before assigning blame. He reiterated that the government would not blame any political group prematurely but would ensure a thorough investigation into potential sabotage.
Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal emphasized that an attack on any member of Parliament affected all lawmakers and called for patience until the investigation was complete. He assured that the investigation report would be placed before Parliament if requested and that legal proceedings would follow based on the findings.