Whenever you open the newspaper these days, news of extortion catches the eye. In these reports, the political identity of the extortionists gets special emphasis. On 6 October, a news headline read: “BNP leader arrested in capital on extortion charges.” The headline alone is shocking. Arrested on extortion charges—and that too a BNP leader?

Reading further into the report, it states that the Special Response Battalion (SRB)-2 arrested a BNP leader from the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Mohammadpur areas on charges of extortion. The arrested person, Mizanur Rahman Swapan, is the president of Ward No. 28 of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Thana BNP.

Two questions are very critical here. Who should we call a leader of a political party? In a vast political party like BNP, can a ward president really be addressed as a “BNP leader”? Had the headline read, “BNP ward leader arrested on extortion charges,” it would have done somewhat more justice to the report. But instead of doing that, most media outlets turned a BNP activist into a national leader just to craft a sensational headline.

As a result, the BNP and politics suffered a loss—an organization that has survived as a strong and popular party despite enduring 17 years of oppression and persecution. Such news creates a negative impression among the general public regarding the party in power. This is not just an isolated report; almost all news published over the past month regarding extortion allegations against BNP leaders and activists at various levels follows the same pattern.

The previous day, another headline read: “Former President of Khilkhet Thana BNP, Shahinur Alam, arrested by Special Response Battalion (SRB-1) on extortion charges.” He was arrested in the capital’s Khilkhet area on Sunday (October 4). How can someone who is a former member still be a leader of BNP? In this way, BNP’s name is being attached to every story about extortion. Is this merely to attract readers, or is it part of a planned smear campaign against BNP?

It is vital to know the answer to this question. Because between 2001 and 2006, when BNP was in power, similar news was published against BNP in a planned manner. As a consequence, an unelected government came to power in the country. Is the same conspiracy playing out once again?

Now let us examine the true identity of those arrested on extortion charges. Mizanur Rahman Swapan joined BNP in December 2024. Before that, he was a member of the Awami League. Before August 5, 2024, Swapan carried out extortion using his Awami League identity. He had multiple cases of extortion and terrorism against him. After August 5, Swapan first took shelter under the umbrella of the Anti-Discrimination Movement and later, finding an opportunity, infiltrated BNP.

On the other hand, Shahinur Alam was expelled from BNP in January last year when extortion allegations were raised against him as well. Local rumors suggest that Shahinur recently joined the NCP.

In this way, if one investigates those accused in every extortion incident, it turns out they either joined BNP after August 2024 or were expelled from BNP after August 5. Why, then, is the blame being dumped on BNP?

After August 5, 2024, many people entered BNP despite strict prohibitions from the party high command. Most of them are opportunists and self-servers, and some are local-level extortionists and terrorists. Many local BNP leaders shelter these identified criminals to boost their own influence in the area. These identified terrorists do not actually follow any party’s ideology. Whichever party comes to power, they take shelter in it to seamlessly carry out their criminal activities. After joining the ruling party, they commit various crimes, including extortion. Law enforcement officers are also afraid to act against them because they belong to the ruling power, leaving these extortionists and terrorists out of reach.

However, after Tarique Rahman became Prime Minister, he adopted a zero-tolerance policy against extortionists and terrorists. Strict action is being taken against extortionists and terrorists regardless of their party affiliation. As a result, legal action is being taken against those involved in extortion and criminal activities using BNP’s name. While the Prime Minister is cleaning out the garbage within the party, he has also instructed that those accused be brought to justice.

Consequently, ordinary people are gaining the courage to speak out against extortionists and have started filing complaints against them. This is a very positive development. Given how the Prime Minister is conducting operations against extortionists, Bangladesh will soon be free from extortion.

However, there is a catch. We are noticing that extortionists expelled from BNP are joining other political parties. After joining those parties, they spread propaganda against the government and engage in terrorism and extortion under political cover. Whenever action is taken against them, opposition parties protest, claiming that the opposition is being persecuted. Extortion cannot be stopped with this mindset.

The Prime Minister’s initiative to clean his own house to stop extortion and terrorism deserves praise. But to make this initiative successful, all political parties must jointly take a clear stance against extortion and terrorists. They should refrain from giving shelter in their parties to anyone expelled from the BNP on charges of terrorism, corruption, or extortion. At the same time, the media must act responsibly. They should highlight the misdeeds of extortionists, corrupt individuals, and terrorists rather than focusing on their political identities. Only when everyone unites against extortionists and terrorists can we be freed from this curse.