Dhaka, Oct. 21 -- The trouble for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is that the questions raised by Ishraque Hossain's resignation reach far beyond one state minister and one controversial video.

When footage emerged of the state minister carrying a firearm during an "anti-drug operation" in Dhaka, the fallout was swift: he stepped down, reportedly at the direction of Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman.

But inside the ruling party, the decision has opened a more uncomfortable debate over discipline, fairness and who gets held to account.

Just 18 days earlier, reserved-seat MP Ferdousy Ahmed Mishti had resigned after an attack on the Radda MCH-FP Centre in Dhaka's Mirpur and an attempt to take control of the facility. ...