Chhatra Dal central president Rakibul Islam Rakib has explained his actions after a video circulated on social media showing him running to salute Prime Minister Tareq Rahman. The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon at the Bangla Academy premises in Dhaka, where the prime minister attended the inauguration of the Amar Ekushey Book Fair. Following criticism online, Rakib posted a statement on Facebook on Friday clarifying the situation.

In his post, Rakib stated that he and other Chhatra Dal leaders were present at the venue for three hours before and during the event. He described greeting the prime minister upon arrival, accompanying him throughout the program, and presenting the organization’s magazine. Rakib said that after the event, he briefly ran toward the prime minister’s car to exchange a final courteous salute at the request of security personnel.

He criticized sections of the media for focusing only on a few seconds of the incident, calling it an example of negative reporting that ignored his longer involvement during the event.