Dr Mahmuda Mitu, a National Citizen Party (NCP) leader and reserved-seat MP, has received a death threat from an unidentified caller who warned that she would be “torn to pieces” and urged her to leave the country immediately if she cared about her family.
The caller also told her to make the threat public in parliament if necessary.
The threat came through a phone call to Mitu at 5:29pm on Sunday while she was at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban during a parliamentary session.
The call, which lasted around four minutes, came from the number +88027717394010.
Speaking to Daily Waadaa about the incident, Mitu said, “I am certainly alarmed, but that does not mean I am afraid. I am actually concerned about the safety of my family.”
According to Mitu, the caller did not identify himself before warning her to arrange a visa and leave the country that day.
“Get your visa and other arrangements ready. Otherwise, leave today. You are already receiving threats from India, aren't you? You are a member of parliament, aren't you? Could you even become a union ward member?” the caller said.
In response, Mitu said, “How big an idiot would someone have to be to ask a member of parliament to become a ward member?”
The caller then said, “You will be torn to pieces.”
When Mitu asked when he intended to carry out the threat, the caller said he had liked her but felt disappointed after she joined Jamaat-e-Islami.
“So you will tear me to pieces for that?” Mitu asked.
The caller then claimed he had no sister of his own and considered Mitu his elder sister.
“Just a moment ago, you said you would tear me to pieces. Now you are calling me your elder sister,” Mitu replied.
The caller subsequently accused her of being greedy and repeated the threat.
“You will be torn to pieces. You must leave the country fast. If necessary, make this threat known in parliament. I am threatening you,” he said.
Towards the end of the conversation, the caller warned, “If you care about your family, run away from the country as soon as possible. Understand? And if you don't care about them, stay in the country.”
Mitu was heard responding, “Okay.”
In a written statement sent to Waadaa, Mitu said she was concerned about her family's security despite not being afraid for herself.
“I am certainly alarmed, but that does not mean I am afraid. It is my right to have security for myself and my family. I am actually concerned about the safety of my family,” she said.
She also expressed concern over the activities of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, claiming that a committee of the Swechchhasebak League had been announced in her constituency, Jhalakathi-Kathalia, on Sunday.
“But it is shameful for us that the Awami League still has the audacity to do this,” she said.
“How can a banned organisation openly announce a committee during the tenure of an elected government? How can it have the audacity to issue such direct threats? This brazen audacity of the terrorist League, backed by collaborators of fascism, is a disgrace to the government,” she added.