Jatiya Party Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga described Noor Hossain -- the young pro-democracy activist whose death sparked an uprising that overthrew his party founder HM Ershad's autocratic regime-- as a "drug addict".
"Who did Hussain Muhammad Ershad kill, Noor Hossain? Who was Noor Hossain? A drug-addict, hooked on yaba, phensedyl," he said on Sunday (Nov 10) addressing a discussion at the party chief's Banani offices.
His remarks came as the Shaheed Noor Hossain Day was being observed across the country.
On this day in 1987, Noor Hossain was shot dead by police near the now Zero Point in Dhaka, during demonstrations against the regime of the then-military ruler Ershad.
The 26-year-old took to the streets with the slogan 'Down with autocracy, free democracy' inscribed on his chest and back.
Noor's death led to a mass uprising that eventually toppled the autocratic regime in 1990.
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