A written complaint filed by the authorities of a residential hotel in Dhaka has put several leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) under scrutiny over allegations of unpaid rent, intimidation of hotel staff and alleged immoral activities during an eight month stay at the establishment what they denied.
Seeking organisational action, Khandaker Ruhul Amin, general manager of Yameni International Limited on Bangabandhu Avenue, submitted the complaint to NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain.
The complaint names five leaders of the party's Dhaka South Metropolitan unit including member secretary Engineer S M Shahriar, organising secretary Sadeq Mirza, Jatrabari Thana chief coordinator Mirasat Hossain Himel and party leaders Shakhawat Hossain and Tawsip.
According to the complaint and hotel records, the accused occupied Rooms 725 and 727 from July 25, 2025 to February 12, 2026, claiming they needed the rooms while renovating an Awami League office. The daily rent for each room was Tk 3,000. Hotel authorities alleged that although Tk 10,000 was paid as an advance, no further payment was made, leaving outstanding dues of Tk 11,93,200.
The hotel further alleged that the rooms were regularly used for late night gatherings and that women from outside were frequently brought there. When staff objected, they were allegedly threatened. You do your work, and let us do ours, the occupants ostensibly told hotel employees.
Mohammad Kajol, head of the hotel's accounts department, said that repeated demands for payment yielded only assurances that the bill would be cleared. Instead, he alleged, the occupants vacated the rooms without notice on the morning after the national election, leaving the keys behind. Hotel authorities later broke the locks, cleaned the rooms and installed new locks. CCTV footage of the incident has been preserved, he said.
An investigation found that the alleged ringleader, Engineer S.M. Shahriar, has a striking political background. Until the mass uprising of August 5, he was an active member of Bangladesh Chhatra League and a close associate of local Awami League MP. His father served as the personal assistant (PS) to Kazi Monirul Islam Monu, the former MP of Dhaka-5 under the ousted government. Following the mass uprising, Shahriar reportedly quickly changed his political affiliation, joined the protesters, and overnight secured the influential post of Member Secretary of the Dhaka South Metropolitan NCP.
Former Gono Odhikar Parishad leader Rashed Khan alleged that Shahriar was given the party post because of his knowledge of Awami League assets and later misappropriated around Tk 1.5 crore allegedly collected through extortion at the Golapbag cattle market during Eid-ul-Azha. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Shahriar denied the accusations, while Shakhawat Hossain admitted visiting the hotel but denied responsibility for the outstanding rent.
Confirming receipt of the complaint, Nahid Islam said the party's disciplinary committee was examining the allegations. After the disciplinary committee submits its report, strict organisational action will be taken against those found responsible, he said.
