Defendants were in jail, abroad, yet plaintiff NCP leader ‘recognised them in mobile light’

Controversy has arisen in Pirganj of Rangpur, over an attempted murder case filed by a central organiser of the National Citizen Party’s (NCP) labour wing.

Several of the accused were either in prison or abroad on the date of the alleged attack. They allege their names were included purely for harassment and as part of a case-trading scheme.

Police, however, maintain that the First Information Report (FIR) was filed on the basis of the complainant’s statement.

According to police, court and local sources, on 14 August Hafizur Sarkar, a resident of Mithipur Union and central organiser of the NCP labour wing, lodged the case at Pirganj police station.

The FIR names multiple Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League leaders.

The complaint states that around 11:00 pm of 6 July, Hafizur was returning home by a cycle van when he was attacked in the Pallarpata area of Kutubpur mouza.

He claims he recognised the assailants “by the light of their mobile phones” when they stopped his van and verbally abused him. He also alleges that, on the order of accused No. 1, Tajimul Islam, the assailants beat him severely with iron rods, leaving him seriously injured.

Hafizur also linked the incident to an earlier attack on 4 August last year, during a one-point movement on the highway, when 20–30 people were injured.

Accused No. 1, Tajimul Islam, is the general secretary of the upazila unit Awami League and a former mayor. Accused No. 6, Shahidul Islam alias Pintu, is a former cultural secretary of the district Awami League and vice-president of the upazila Awami League.

Accused No. 27, former MP and upazila chairman Nur Mohammad Mondol, is also named.

Investigations revealed that both Nur Mohammad Mondol and Shahidul Islam were in jail at the time of the alleged attack. This was confirmed to Prothom Alo by senior jail superintendent of Rangpur Central Jail, Md. Mokammel Hossain, and court inspector Md. Aminul Islam of the district police.

Mokammel Hossain said Shahidul Islam had been in custody since 16 June. Nur Mohammad Mondol was jailed on 19 June in an Anti-Corruption Commission case and released on bail on 13 July.

Asked about this, Hafizur Sarkar insisted the attempt on his life did take place on 6 July. He, however, gave details of the August 2024 incident in his complaint.

Stating that none were in jail at that time, he argued that masterminds could issue orders from anywhere, regardless of their physical location.

Accused No. 5, Sirajul Islam, a member of the upazila Awami League and businessperson, was abroad during the alleged incident.

“I left for Thailand at 3:00 am on 4 July and returned on 20 July. So how could he ‘recognise’ me in a mobile phone light?” he asked. “This case is just a tool for extortion.”

Sirajul said he has already submitted evidence of his travel to the police station.

Local sources further confirmed that two Qawmi madrasah Hafez, accused in the case, were in Dhaka that day (6 July) arranging to travel for Umrah. An apparel businessperson and a private employee, long based in Dhaka and Chattogram, are also named as defendants.

When asked, Hafizur said, “I heard one of the accused might have been performing Hajj. I cannot explain that right now. I filed the FIR through a lawyer, so I will need to consult him for clarification.”

Chairman of Boro Dargah Union, Mafia Akter, alleged that four union parishad chairmen were falsely implicated, including Bablu Mia of Paingachi Union, who was arrested on the day the case was filed.

She claimed the complainant’s associates demanded money in exchange for dropping names, which she refused. Hafizur, however, denied any involvement in case-trading.

Officer-in-Charge of Pirganj police station, Shafiqul Islam, told Prothom Alo the case cites two separate incidents.

“We are investigating both claims. Once the inquiry is complete, the facts about the accused will be clear,” he said.