State minister for information and communication technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Friday said that he was ashamed of the incident of abducting and torturing a chairman candidate in the forthcoming Singra upazila parishad in Natore elections allegedly by his brother-in-law’s men.

‘Who is my brother, who is my father-in-law, who is my niece, who is my nephew or brother-in-law, it is not a matter of consideration. I am really embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry for this incident, and I apologise,’ he said while talking to journalists after visiting the injured chairman candidate at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital at 11:00am.

Palak also said that none who were involved in the incident of abducting and beating the chairman candidate would be spared.

‘The prime minister is directly supervising the matter and she has given strict instructions. Those who were involved in this attack, whoever they may be, whatever their identity is, should be strictly prosecuted’, he said.

The state minister said that pursued by conscience, he came to visit Delowar to the RMCH to stand beside him and to give a clear message to the party leaders and activists.

‘I want to make sure that there is no opportunity to take any extra advantage by using any personal or kinship relationship. If someone tries to use this identity, they may face more severe penalties. Such a message has been given by our leader (PM Sheikh Hasina),’ he said.

Palak also urged the law enforcers to arrest those who were directly involved in that attack and those who were behind it quickly.

‘Besides, I also spoke with the president and general secretary of Singra upazila Awami League. If anyone from the upazila or municipal branch of our party is involved in the incident, strict measures should be taken against them. Those who belong to other affiliated organisations of the party and were involved in this incident should also be recommended to be expelled’, he added.

The state minister said that he felt as a member of parliament and a government representative that such kind of incident was not acceptable in any way. ‘By taking strict measures, we want to set an example, so that no one can dare to spoil the image of our party and the government by carrying someone else’s identity’, he further added.

On Monday, a group of youths forcibly picked up chairman candidate Delowar Hossain, also a member of Kalam Union Awami League, in a black microbus in front of the Natore district election office when he went to meet with the returning officer after submitting his nomination paper for the chairman post in the Singra upazila parishad elections.

Minutes after his abduction, Delowar told reporters that the followers of his rival candidate Lutfor Habib, joint-secretary of the Singra upazila Awami League, and brother-in-law of Zunaid Ahmed Palak, abducted his two elder brothers in the morning and held them hostage so that he could not submit his nomination papers.

Later, Delowar was beaten and sent to home in a microbus in an unconscious condition. Since then he has been undergoing treatment at the RMCH.

In CCTV footage, several Juba League, Swechchhasebak League, and Sramik League leaders and activists, close to Lutfor Habib, were seen picking up Delowar Hossain in a black microbus forcibly.