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Published : 01 May 2025, 07:33 PM
The National Citizens’ Party (NCP) has put Syeda Nilima Dola, the daughter of Mahmuda Begum, president of Faridpur Mohila Awami League, in charge of forming the district committee.
A letter signed by NCP Secretary Akhtar Hossain and Chief Organiser for the Southern Region, Hasnat Abdullah confirmed the development on Tuesday.
According to the letter, a special team has been created to set up NCP committees in five districts: Gopalganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Rajbari, and Shariatpur.
Abdur Rahman will act as the regional supervisor of the team, while Rakib Hossain has been named organiser. The team received a 30-day deadline to coordinate with local members and propose district-level committees. Dola has been listed as a member of the team for Faridpur district.
The letter signed by NCP’s central leaders has sparked widespread discussion and criticism within Faridpur’s political circles.
Dola is also the niece of Golam Mohammad Nasir, general secretary of the district Awami Sramik League. Her father, Syed Golam Dastagir, is a businessman.
Dola completed her master’s degree from the Department of Music at Dhaka University in 2017 and briefly worked in the private sector. She now runs a media company named Cine Cartel.
When asked about the criticism surrounding her appointment, Dola said: “You may come across some posts related to my family’s association with the Awami League. But I want to offer a clarification to my peers and fellow activists. I have been active in the anti-Awami movement for over a decade.”
She added, “I was a prominent face in numerous university movements, from the ‘No Metro on DU’ and anti-Rampal protests to campaigns for repealing the DSA and liberating Sufia Kamal Hall from Chhatra League’s control. I have been writing against the autocratic government for quite some time.”
Dola divulged that she left her family in 2012, and considers her fellow activists as her only family now.
She also highlighted her role as a witness in the murder case of Tahir Zaman Priyo filed against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina in July.
She asked, “Many who were once affiliated with the Chhatra League have now joined the anti-discrimination movement. I never joined the Chhatra League, so what bars me from being part of the [National] Citizens Committee? The NCP leadership appointed me only after I passed their ‘litmus test’.”
Responding to the controversy, Sohel Rana of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement said: “Her family is affiliated with the Awami League. We saw how her uncle, Golam Nasir, fired indiscriminately at us during the protests in July and August. Her mother’s political activities are also well-known to us.”
However, he added that he did not personally know her, and said that this situation could have been avoided with thorough background checks.
