Bogura residents slate MP Bablu for brandishing pistol in social media photo

A photo of MP Rezaul Karim Bablu brandishing a pistol has been spread on social media, sparking anger among constituents in Bogura.

The BNP-backed lawmaker has said the firearm is licenced and his political rivals spread the photo to put him in a tight corner.

A TV journalist, however, said Bablu had uploaded the photo on his Facebook page and later took it down.

Chapal Saha, northern region bureau chief of ATN News, posted the photo on Facebook and wrote: “How appropriate is it for an MP to brandish the gun he has bought? A lawmaker should know that brandishing gun is an offence.”

“A group of people have been after me since I was elected MP. I had gone to the shop to buy a firearm lawfully. Someone of that group took the photo when I was checking the gun. He later tried to belittle me by spreading the photo on social media,” Bablu told bdnews24.com.

Chapal told bdnews24.com he shared the photo after saving it from the MP’s page because it appeared wrong to him, not because of personal animosity.

The journalist also has a screenshot of the MP’s post.

AB Barik, a resident of Bogura’s Nandigram, believes the MP has no idea that it is wrong to brandish a gun in a civilised society.

Another resident of Bogura town, ‘Hannan’, was not so understanding. He demanded action against Bablu.

Bablu submitted nomination papers as an independent candidate for the Bogura-7 seat in the 11th parliamentary elections.

The BNP announced its support for him a day before the vote after their candidate’s nomination was declared illegal.