Jamaat MP under scrutiny as clips go viral

Video clips involving Satkhira-4 lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam and a young woman -- one showing them in an intimate setting -- have been making the rounds on social media since Monday night, sparking reactions online.

On Monday night, a video went viral where Nazrul is seen getting intimate with the woman in a room. Later, another clip surfaced showing several individuals interrogating Nazrul in a room, where the woman was also present.

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The men are heard asking, “How many times have you come here before? Tell us the truth, how many times? We have seen you coming here for a few days. We couldn’t catch you.”

Nazrul is seen pleading to be released: “Please, let us go...We have done wrong.”

Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, the lawmaker dismissed allegations of an extramarital affair, identifying the woman in the footage as his second wife, Morium Khatun.

When contacted after the videos began spreading, Nazrul did not answer calls from The Daily Star.

However, in his statement, he claimed that on July 13, he visited a business establishment in Dhaka’s Moghbazar, owned by Morium’s father Masum Billah. He said he was accompanied by his first wife, Maksuda Islam, and Morium.

The MP alleged that during the visit, his driver and Morium’s uncle, Obaidullah, entered the room with several unidentified people. They allegedly held them hostage, took Tk 1 lakh, and later demanded more. When he refused to pay, they threatened him.

Nazrul further alleged that Obaidullah secretly recorded private and intimate moments between him and his wife and later circulated the footage on Facebook and other social media platforms. He claimed the video was being falsely presented as evidence of an extramarital relationship.

The Daily Star also tried to contact Obaidullah for comments, but he did not answer repeated phone calls.

Nazrul said he married Morium on June 17 with the consent of his first wife. He called on the authorities to conduct an investigation and take legal action against those responsible.

However, in a copy of Morium’s résumé, which bore a recommendation signed by MP Gazi Nazrul Islam on June 22, her marital status was listed as “unmarried” and her date of birth as May 22, 2008.

Above the MP’s signature, a handwritten note in green ink reads, “Strongly recommended.”

Meanwhile, the lawmaker’s first wife, Maksuda, released a 29-second video message defending her husband.

“My husband has married Morium. I strongly condemn those who are spreading slander. If they don’t stop, I’ll be forced to take legal action,” she said.

Morium and her father also issued separate video messages on Tuesday.

Morium said, “What we did is legal; we did it as husband and wife. And what was done [circulating the video] was a conspiracy by some people to harass and defame us.”

Her father, Masum Billah, said, “On June 17, my eldest daughter Morium was married [to the MP]. On July 13, we were all present there, including the MP and his first wife. I strongly protest... This is nothing but social harassment.”

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami said it was monitoring the reports circulating in the media and on social media involving the lawmaker.

“The party will gather further information and verify the facts surrounding the incident before taking necessary organisational measures in accordance with its rules,” Jamaat said in a statement, signed by Assistant Secretary General and Central Publicity and Media Department Secretary Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair.