3 Barishal SAD leaders, including chief organiser, resign
They alleged SAD turned into an anti-people platform
Three leaders of the Barishal unit of Students Against Discrimination (SAD), including the chief organiser, have resigned.
They announced their resignation during a press conference on Sunday (1 June ) at 8:00pm, in the Barishal Reporters' Unity, alleging that the SAD has turned into an anti-people platform.
The leaders who resigned are Chief Organiser Hasibul Islam Turan, Joint Convener Touhidul Islam Abid and member Tahasin Ahmed Ratul.
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Hasibur Alam Turan said, "Individuals from various political groups have intentionally discredited this platform. Recently, through media reports, I learned that Mohsin Uddin, senior joint convener, committed extortion and was involved in unpleasant incidents using my identity.
"They are not raising awareness among the masses but are engaging in aggressive politics, land grabbing, communal provocation, extortion, tender manipulation, and case trading in the old political style."
He added, "Without a clear political aim, they have created a directionless political mob. Women had participated significantly in the July uprising. But I have not seen any initiative from them to safeguard women's freedom. Due to a failure in organisational and political education and awareness-building, these leaders are creating internal conflicts."
He said the group has not been working toward their original goals and is instead "involved in wrongdoing that completely contradicts the political aspirations of the July uprising".
"That's why the organisation has become an anti-people platform. To not betray the blood of the martyrs and the injured of July, I believe resignation is the right decision," Hasibur said.
Joint Convener Touhidul Islam Abid and Member Tahasin Ahmed Ratul also spoke at the press conference.
In response to the allegations, Mohsin Uddin said, "It wasn't chief organiser Turan's name that was used, but that of a local activist with the same name. Since the July uprising, we have used pseudonyms as a strategy.
"The police commissioner investigated the incident and found the extortion claim to be false. These false accusations are being made to disrupt my political career," he claimed.
SAD Barishal District Convener Sabbir Hossain Sohag said, "The allegations of extortion are baseless. None of us have lobbied so far. If anyone has done it secretly, that's a different matter.
"I wasn't informed of their [3 leaders] resignation. If there were irregularities in the organisation, they could have spoken out but they didn't. Now that they are discontent with the organisation, they made sweeping complaints and left. Their allegations are unfounded."
