Ex-Bangladesh political leader arrested over remarks about prime minister

Police arrested former National Citizen Party leader Gazi Salahuddin Tanvir on Wednesday over an allegedly objectionable Facebook post about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

Bogura Police’s Detective Branch detained Tanvir during a raid in Dhaka’s Monipuripara area in connection with a case filed under the Cyber Security Act, 2026. Police later produced him before the Bogura Sadar Cognisance Court.

According to police and the case filing, Tanvir published the post after allegations that a National Citizen Party street rally was attacked in Sylhet on July 29. The post drew criticism after circulating widely online.

Tanvir later deleted it and publicly apologized, but screenshots continued to spread across social media platforms.

National Citizen Party officials removed him from party responsibilities for violating discipline. Maftoon Ahmed Khan Rubel, a local Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader, filed the case Aug. 2.

The case marks a new low for the five-month old Rahman government, as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party continues what critics describe as a broad assault on freedom of speech and expression.