Attack on NCP leader in Bangladesh exposed layers of political-criminal nexus, liquor, drugs and missing woman; Tanvi will reveal the secret

Bangladesh politics once again seems to be trapped in the whirlpool of blood, drugs and secrets. Radical and anti-India rhetorical leaders on 12th December Sharif Osman Hadi After shooting dead, now another leader associated with the National Citizens Party (NCP) has been fatally attacked. Although this time the bullet could not kill, but the story that is coming out is raising serious questions on the current power structure, law and order and fundamentalist politics of Bangladesh.

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On Monday, central organizer of NCP-affiliated labor organization ‘Shramik Shakti’ and Khulna division chief Mohammad Motaleb Sikdar was shot near his head in Khulna. The bullet passed through the ear and could not enter the skull, thus saving his life. According to doctors, Sikdar is now out of danger. But the place where this bullet was fired was not a political office or a road, but a rented flat, from where liquor bottles, intoxicant ‘Yaba’ (a type of synthetic drug) and equipment for taking drugs were found.

Method of shooting, surprising similarity with Hadi assassination

The thing to note is that just as Sharif Usman Hadi was shot near his ear, similarly Motaleb Sikdar was also targeted near his ear. The only difference was that Hadi’s bullet passed through and killed him, whereas in Sikdar’s case the bullet just touched the scalp and passed through it. This similarity is indicating that political violence in Bangladesh is now turning into a pattern – close firing, planned attack and then political rhetoric.

A den of alcohol, ‘crazy medicine’ yaba and partying

Police investigation revealed that a party involving alcohol and drugs had taken place the night before in the ground-floor flat where the shooting took place. Six bottles of liquor, equipment for taking Yaba (methamphetamine + caffeine), drug paraphernalia and a shell stuck in the ceiling were recovered from the spot. According to the United Nations, Yaba is a very dangerous narcotic, which is also called ‘crazy medicine’. It stimulates the brain system, increases aggression and with prolonged consumption can make a person violent and unbalanced. The question is, who was so intoxicated at the hideout of an alleged labor leader?

The mysterious woman ‘Tanvi’ of the rented flat and her disappearance

The most mysterious character in this whole matter is ‘Tanvi’, the same woman in whose name this flat was taken on rent. According to the landlord’s wife Ashrafunnahar, Tanvi introduced herself as an NGO worker and brought a young man as her husband. Tanvi often stayed out all night and many strange men used to come and go to her flat. A notice to vacate the house was also given after receiving complaints from local people about ‘anti-social activities’. But even before that the shooting took place. After the incident, Tanvi locked the flat and ran away. At present the police is busy searching for him. The question is, was Tanvi just a tenant, or an important link in this entire game?

False story, CCTV exposed

Initially Motaleb Sikdar told the police that he was shot from the road. But CCTV footage proved his story false. It was clearly seen in the cameras that Sikdar comes out of the flat, holding his ears, a friend supports him and then he is taken to the hospital in a rickshaw. After this the police reached the flat and found a huge cache of drugs and liquor there.

Internal fight or extortion dispute?

According to police sources, Sikdar’s past has also been suspicious. He was earlier active in ‘Shramik League’, a banned labor organization associated with Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. After the fall of Hasina government in August 2024, he joined NCP. The investigating agencies are also finding that Sikdar had links with notorious criminals of Khulna and was involved in an extortion network. DC Tajul Islam of Khulna Metropolitan Police has clearly said that in the preliminary investigation it seems to be an internal criminal conflict.

NCP’s counterattack: Politics or protection from truth?

NCP leaders have rejected the police investigation and called it a political conspiracy. Party leaders claim that Sikdar was dragged on the road and shot and Awami League supporters are behind this. But till now the police has not found any concrete evidence to support these claims.

Dangerous cocktail of anti-India, bigotry and crime

The assassination of Sharif Usman Hadi and now the attack on Motaleb Sikdar – both these incidents have made it clear that crime, drugs and anarchy are deeply linked with anti-India and fundamentalist politics in Bangladesh. These incidents also raise questions about the claim of the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus that it would conduct fair elections in February. How will the foundation of democracy be strengthened when the leaders themselves are stuck in the quagmire of liquor, drugs and extortion?

Bullets, liquor, yaba and a missing woman – the attack on Motaleb Sikdar is not just a crime, but the real picture of the current politics of Bangladesh. Until Tanvi is caught and the entire network is exposed, this case will remain not just a shootout but a political-criminal thriller. And perhaps, this is going to further destabilize the politics of Bangladesh in the coming days.