A video has surfaced on Facebook allegedly showing National Citizen Party (NCP) Chattogram City Joint Coordinator Nizam Uddin negotiating a payment of Tk 5 lakh to halt a protest linked to Chattogram port operations. The footage, which spread widely on social media Sunday evening, has reignited allegations of extortion and betrayal of public trust within the party’s grassroots movement.
The one-and-a-half-minute clip shows a Messenger call between Nizam Uddin and Aftab Hossain Rifat, a coordinator of the port-based faction of the Boishommo birodhi Chhatro Andolon (Anti-Discrimination Student Movement), being filmed from another phone. In the call, Rifat says, “If Mir bhai’s group doesn’t stop the protest, what should we do?” Nizam replies, “I will stop the protest. Have they given you money?” When Rifat confirms, Nizam asks, “How much?” Rifat responds, “Five [lakh].”
Nizam is then heard saying: “Put more pressure… see if you can take another five lakh from them. If you can, I will arrange and give some to Rohan, Mir, and others.”
The video was uploaded by Rahadul Islam, former Joint Member Secretary of the movement’s Chattogram City unit, who accused Nizam of misappropriating Tk 5 lakh during efforts to suppress protests against Saif Powertec Limited. “This is not only corruption,” Rahadul wrote, “it is a direct betrayal of the trust of students and the public.”
Earlier, on July 5, a woman filed a written complaint with the Chattogram Metropolitan Police Commissioner, accusing Nizam of demanding Tk 2 crore and implicating her husband in a “false case” when the payment was not made. At the time, Nizam was serving as the City Member Secretary of the movement and was suspended following the allegation, but later reinstated.
Responding to the latest controversy, Nizam Uddin told Prothom Alo: “These are old videos. They are being circulated to corner me politically. This is a planned video. The person who made it [Aftab] will go live and explain everything.”
NCP Chattogram City’s Chief Coordinator, Mir Arshadul Hoque, said the party had previously sought clarification about Nizam when forming the committee, but the movement’s leadership had given a positive reply. “Now that new allegations have surfaced, we will seek an explanation from him according to party rules,” he said.
The Bondor Rokkha Andolon (Port Protection Movement) was launched on April 23 under NCP’s northern region organiser Rasel Ahmed, staging demonstrations at Customs Mor in Chattogram over the New Mooring Container Terminal issue.
