Bangladesh’s fragile peace was shattered Sunday night in Dhaka’s Kalabagan when assailants opened fire on a key BNP official. Joint general secretary Shafiqur Rahman, 55, of Ward-16—also a shoe merchant—was wounded in the left arm right outside a shoe market in the police station zone.
Eyewitness shop owner Shahparan rushed the victim to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, telling reporters, ‘A sudden gunshot struck his left arm.’ Inspector Mohammad Faruk from the hospital’s police detail confirmed the case, adding that Kalabagan station had been alerted for immediate follow-up.
Occurring days after Tarique Rahman-led BNP’s sweeping electoral success in the 13th parliament and government formation, the hit stokes fears of orchestrated retaliation.
This is no isolated event amid surging post-vote mayhem. Violence last week across five districts hurt nine and incinerated a house. February 14 saw BNP factions clash in Natore’s Lalpur, injuring six; two were detained with a gun recovered, as reported by The Daily Star via police sources.
The Human Rights Support Society’s damning analysis covers October 2025 to February 14: over 700 incidents, 10 dead, 2,503 injured—including 34 shot—and widespread havoc on 500+ properties from dwellings to polling stations via looting, vandalism, and fires.
As the new BNP regime replaces Yunus’s 18-month interregnum, observers decry vulnerabilities to disorder and Islamist radicalism. The attack on Rahman spotlights the urgent need for ironclad security to avert a spiral into anarchy.