Plaintiff knows nothing of murder attempt case in Chattogram

A rally of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) came under attack in the Muradpur-Shulkbahar Madrasah road area in Chattogram on 16 July.

Construction worker Saiful Islam, 21, from Maheshkhali in Cox’s Bazar and many other people sustained injuries in the attack.

Around two and a half months after the incident, Saiful’s mother Fatema Begum lodged a case of attempted murder against 44 named and 50-60 other unnamed persons at Panchlaish police station on 31 August.

However, plaintiff Fatema Begum and her injured son Saiful Islam know nothing of the lawsuit.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Fatema Begum said she had not visited Chattogram city even once in the last 20 years. She also stated that she heard about the case from this correspondent for the first time. Additionally, she mentioned that no one from the police had contacted her up to that point.

The main accused in the case are former president of the Chattogram city unit of BCL, MR Nazim, 45, and former general secretary Nurul Azam Rony, 37.

Although the incident occurred in Chattogram city, individuals from various areas—including Pekua, Maheshkhali, Kutubdia, Banshkhali, Anwara, Raozan, and Chandanaish—were named in the case.

The accused include senior teachers, salt farmers, small traders, BNP leaders, and active members of Students Against Discrimination.

Following the filing of the case, there have also been allegations of attempts to extort money from some of the accused in the name of the plaintiff.

The case statement said that Saiful, son of Fatema Begum, took part in the movement of Students Against Discrimination with his friends around 3:00 pm on 16 July.

When the demonstrators reached Muradpur intersection from Kala Mia Bazar, the accused swooped on the common students with iron rods, hammers, machetes and other local weapons.

The statement further said the accused had bamboos, wooden sticks, bricks and stones, iron rods and firearms in their hands.

Many people, including Saiful, were injured critically in the incident of beating with sticks and sharp weapons, shooting with an intent to kill. Saiful sustained injuries in his head and the left leg and hand.

It also stated that a rickshaw puller first took injured Saiful to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, where he received stitches on his head. Saiful was given medical care at a private hospital in Chattogram due to excessive patients at CMCH. Then his mother Fatema Begum took him to the village house.

Though it has been mentioned in the case statement that Saiful studied up to Class-X, it was found that he actually did not study after Class-II. Although Fatima has signed under the case statement, she said that she was illiterate.

This correspondent went to Adharghona village of Kalamarchhara Union of Maheshkhali on 23 October and spoke to Fatema Begum and her injured son Saiful. Many people from the village were present at this time.

Fatema Begum expressed astonishment when informed about the case filed at the Panchlaish police station.

She stated that she had not been to Chattogram in recent years, much less filed a case at a police station there. Fatema explained that her husband, Rafiq Uddin, is the primary breadwinner for the family.

“We starve if he cannot catch fish in the river,” she said. Although two of her daughters are married, her son Saiful has been contributing to the family income by driving a battery-operated easybike for the past several months. Saiful, however, could not continue his education beyond the second grade due to financial constraints.

Around 17 years ago, goons of the Awami League burned the house of the in-law’s of Mohammad Shah Ghona’s Fatema Begum. Later, she took refuge with her husband and three children in her father’s house in Adhar Ghona. Since then, Fatema’s family has been living there for several years in a small house with mud walls and a tin roof.

Fatema Begum informed this correspondent that Saiful went to Chattogram city for masonry works around 10 July. On his way back to his rented house after completing the work on 16 July afternoon, he was caught in a three-way clash between the BCL, the police and Students Against Discrimination in Muradpur area.

He was seriously injured there. Some local people rescued him and admitted him to CMCH. He was treated at the hospital for three days. Then Saiful’s father and elder sister went to the hospital and brought him to Maheshkhali. After that Saiful did not go to Chattogram again.

Fatema herself claimed that she had not gone to Chattogram even for once in the last 20 years.

Saiful said the same while sitting next to his mother. He said that they cannot even afford to travel to Maheshkhali police station, let alone going to Panchlaish police station and file a case there.

Saiful said it needs to be investigated who has filed the case using his mother’s name.

Apart from this, though there is the signature of Fatema Begum under the case statement, she claimed to be illiterate. Fatema Begum’s neighbour Kamrul Islam also said the same. He doesn't know how to sign.

Kalamarchhara Union’s Andhar Ghona ward no. 9 member Abu Ahmed also said the same thing. He said that they would have known if Fatema would have filed any case as a plaintiff. So far no law enforcement agency members spoke to them about the case.

Retired school teacher of Rajakhali Union’s Rakbat Ali Para of Pekua Upazila in Cox’s Bazar, Nur Hossain, 58, is the accused No. 17 of the case filed at Panchlaish police station. His actual name is Nur Hossain Shikder. He is 67 years old.

Nur Hossain retired in 2017 after serving as the head teacher of Alikadam Girls High School in Bandarban for 20 years. Since then he has been living with his family at his home in Pekua.

He came to know about the matter when Pekua police station’s assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Samsuddin Bhuiyan went to investigate the case recently.

Nur Hossain Shikder told Prothom Alo that he has not gone to Chattogram even for once in the last six-seven months. He does not know the plaintiff either.

A few days ago, a woman mentioned the plaintiff’s name and demanded Tk 30,000 from him. She also provided him with a bKash number to send money. Otherwise she threatened to send him to jail.

Nur Hossain Shikder further said he has a case with his brothers regarding family property. He suspects that some of them have included his name in the case.

Selim Uddin, 35, of Koyarbil of Dakkhin Kutubdia is accused No. 22. He is actually 45 years old.

Selim Uddin told Prothom Alo that he filed a case at the Chattogram Cyber ​​Tribunal against some people of Kutubdia in 2022. The accused live in Chawkbazar area of ​​Chattogram.

He suspects some of them included his name in the attempted murder case, seizing the opportunity.

Selim Uddin said he is involved in BNP’s politics and salt trading. Currently he is a member of Kutubdia upazila unit BNP and finance secretary of Koyarbil union unit BNP.

Koyarbil union unit BNP president Shafiul Alam and general secretary Kamrul Hasan said that Selim Uddin is a devoted activist of the BNP. He was also active in the student movement.

Speaking about filing the case with Fatema Begum as plaintiff, Panchlaish Model police station inspector (investigation) Md Sazzad told Prothom Alo that many people filed lawsuits at the police station during the time of movement of the Students Against Discrimination and the following tumultuous time. There was no scope to record a case by investigating at that time. The investigation has been going on now. If any innocent person has been made accused in the case, there is the scope to drop the name later.

* The report, originally published in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Shameem Reza