Staff Reporter : Md. Sohag Bhuiyan is a name discussed in BNP student politics due to his street protests, one case after another, the horrific experience of remand and long-standing organizational activity. He is currently serving as the president of the Dhaka Metropolitan East branch of Bangladesh Nationalist Chhatra Dal. There is a lot of discussion in the political arena, this student leader is in a strong position for the post of General Secretary in the upcoming Dhaka Metropolitan South Jubo Dal committee.
Party sources, speaking to several leaders and activists of Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal, have revealed that Sohag Bhuiyan, who has been active in field politics for a long time, has become known as one of the trusted young leaders of Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman. Those concerned believe that his continuous presence in the anti-government movement, implementation of BNP`s central program and organizational activities have brought him into the discussion of important positions in Jubo Dal.
The political rise of Sohag Bhuiyan, a son of Comilla, is mainly centered around the capital-centered student politics. In the past days of BNP, his contribution on the streets was extensive in the hartal blockade program in 2013-14, which is why he first came into the discussion. His organizational identity was created through serving as the founding general secretary of Shahjahanpur Thana Chhatra Dal. After that, he was elected as the joint general secretary, joint convener number 1 and the last president of Dhaka Metropolitan East Chhatra Dal. Party leaders believe that his position has been continuously strengthened in the reconstituted committees of Dhaka Metropolitan Chhatra Dal.
Sohag Bhuiyan`s name was officially announced as the president of the partial committee of Dhaka Metropolitan East Chhatra Dal announced in December 2024. Since the announcement of that committee, his influence in student politics in the capital has become more visible.
More than 76 cases were filed against Sohag Bhuiyan for participating in opposition political programs during the Awami League government. His colleagues said that he was arrested and remanded several times during various movements and struggles. He became known as a "field worker" among grassroots leaders and activists, especially due to his active role in BNP and Chhatra Dal blockades, protests, and procession-centered programs in the capital.
In 2018, the police and Awami League brutally tortured Sohag`s family to arrest him over the much-discussed clash with the police in front of the BNP central office. To arrest him, law enforcement agencies arrested 21 members of his family from different parts of Bangladesh. He was kept missing for five days after his arrest. An experience of being remanded in the DB office has recently come up for discussion on social media. A fellow Chhatra Dal leader at that time mentioned in his memoirs how they had to spend time in fear, mental stress and torture day after day. He claimed that when Sohag was taken away one morning, his fellow prisoners feared that he might not return alive. Later, he was brought back in a sick condition. After that incident, his identity as a "renegade and persecuted student leader" became stronger among many leaders and activists.
According to party sources, Sohag Bhuiyan has been imprisoned more than ten times and was also imprisoned in a case for which he was sentenced to ten years and three months.
He was arrested after being shot at from the BNP party office on December 7, 2022, his role on July 29 and October 28, 2023 was noticeable and his role in implementing all the party`s programs in the anti-Hasina movement was immense. Also, in the July 2024 mass uprising, he protested with ordinary students in front of the streets in various places including Shahbagh, Khilgaon, Rampura. He was shot while protesting in Kakrail in the capital, which is why he is a discussed student leader in various circles during the July movement.
According to political analysts, in the current politics of BNP, the appreciation of leaders who have been on the streets for a long time and have been subjected to torture is increasing. There is a central thought about bringing leaders who have emerged from the Chhatra Dal to important positions in the Jubo Dal. And it is because of that calculation that Sohag Bhuiyan`s name is now at the center of discussion.
He has also been seen actively involved in various organizational activities of Dhaka Metropolitan East Chhatra Dal. Recently, news of his role in organizational decisions and reorganization of several units under the Metropolitan East was published. In addition, he has been seen leading processions and field-based programs in protest of Chhatra Dal`s founding anniversary, arrests and torture.
