Chhatra League Leader Allegedly Planned to Abduct S M Rezaul Karim After August 5

After the student-led uprising that led to the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 last year, many ministers, MPs, and top leaders fled the country. While detailed accounts of how they escaped remained largely unknown, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader recently spoke to Indian media and revealed how he narrowly escaped public wrath on that day.

Following his statement, former minister and Awami League Law Affairs Secretary S M Rezaul Karim broke his silence in an interview with Australia-based journalist Fazlul Bari on YouTube. In the interview, Karim claimed he had faced a "deadly plot" post-August 5 that ultimately forced him to flee the country, alleging that a Chhatra League leader was involved in a plan to abduct him.

S M Rezaul Karim detailed the harrowing experience, stating: "It was a brutal situation. I was staying at my NAM flat. Even the night before, I was in touch with high-level officials. My wife repeatedly told me that no one else was left in the building. I scolded her. My daughter, who is a barrister in London, warned me that the situation was dangerous and urged me to leave. I asked my wife to turn off the television, fearing it would traumatize me. I believed the Prime Minister would handle the situation. I didn’t leave the flat, but later found out I was the only one left in the entire building."

The next morning, a mob arrived outside the NAM building. The caretaker warned him not to come out. A peon informed him that people were looking for him by name. “I was told to keep the lights off and stay hidden,” he said.

“My son in Australia called and said my house would be stormed. I was too weak to even move furniture to block the door. I switched off the fan and lights. Then they began kicking the door violently,” Karim recalled.

His bodyguard, from a distance, warned him not to open the door under any circumstances. The intruders, assuming the flat was empty, eventually left, aided by building staff who cut the electricity to make it seem uninhabited.

By divine intervention, a man who had once received legal help from Karim during the 1/11 emergency period came to his aid. This man was part of the student movement and had learned that Karim was still in the building. Disguised with a mask, Karim left the building with this man pretending to be ill, accompanied by his family.

“We left with nothing—just the clothes we were wearing. We went to Apollo Hospital. We didn't even have money to pay a CNG fare,” he said. They moved between various relatives’ houses in secrecy. Despite all efforts, their whereabouts were often discovered.

The most chilling incident occurred when Taposh Chowdhury, president of his local Upazila Chhatra League, knocked on his door. "He said he was picked up by hackers and law enforcement who demanded Tk 12 crore. My brother, a banker, negotiated down to Tk 5 crore," said Karim.

Taposh, whom Karim claimed he had financially supported into his leadership role, allegedly joined forces with opposition elements from BNP and Jamaat out of greed. “I told them I would go to the police station. My son texted me not to go with any unknown people. But they were forcing me into a lift,” he recalled.

During this scuffle, a loyal staff member arrived on a motorcycle and managed to whisk him away, dodging cars in pursuit. “They were waiting to abduct my wife and brother too,” he said.

Eventually, he fled to a border area with the help of a former MP and his brother. He crossed the border through a muddy swamp after enduring nearly four hours of physical hardship. "Barbed wire tore my body, but somehow I made it across."

In Kolkata, with the help of Bangladeshi expatriates and local supporters, Karim arranged for his arrival stamp and exit permission. He later left for another country, which he chose not to name.

Reflecting on the ordeal, S M Rezaul Karim said: “It all feels like a dream. It’s as if I returned from the mouth of death. At every step, I felt the divine power of Allah guiding me to safety.”