Earlier it was ‘fictitious’ case, now accused made ‘at-will’

On 2 September, two cases were registered in connection with the deaths of two individuals in Dhaka’s Jatrabari during the quota reform movement for government jobs. An executive magistrate from the Dhaka district administration, along with a director, a deputy director, and an assistant director of the environment department, have been named as accused in the cases.

The investigation suggests that a leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and his son-in-law are behind the allegations.

The accused officials conducted a raid and subsequently filed a case concerning the unregistered cold storage owned by the BNP leader’s son-in-law. Notably, the director of the Department of Environment, who is among the accused, is also a former son-in-law of the BNP leader.

Across the country, cases related to the murders during the movement of Students Against Discrimination and the mass uprising are being filed. Many of these cases involve claims of prior enmity and political vendettas, with some individuals being accused as part of schemes for extortion and harassment.

In numerous instances, the choice of who is accused is being influenced by BNP leaders or their affiliated organisations in the respective places.

During the previous Awami League government, there were instances of police and Awami League leaders filing “fictitious” cases against the BNP and Jamaat leaders and activists. With the recent downfall of the Awami League government in the face of the student-people massa uprising, it seems accusations are now being made arbitrarily in these murder cases.

Leaders of the student movement have urged that false or fabricated charges without proper verification should not be registered against innocent individuals. A warning issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday emphasised that law enforcement agencies have been directed to take legal action against those who engage in filing false and harassing cases.

Officials from the Dhaka District Administration and the Department of Environment have been accused in connection with the deaths of Shakib Hasan, 22, and Jahangir Alam, 50, who were killed on 18 and 19 July in Jatrabari Kajla.

The case was filed by Abu Bakar, convenor of ward number 63 of the Dhaka south city BNP. Sources indicate that Nabi Ullah, the former joint convener of Dhaka south city BNP, is behind the allegations.

The investigation revealed that in 2020, Nabi Ullah’s son-in-law, Sirajuddaula, opened a cold storage facility in Matuail by forging the signature of the Dhaka District Commissioner and operating without permission from the Department of Environment.

In this incident, Mosharrof Hossain, an employee of the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner’s office, filed a case at Kotwali police station as the plaintiff. District administration employees Nazrul Islam and Zafar Shikder served as witnesses in that case. Dhaka district administration executive magistrate Rafiqul Haque oversaw the operation at the cold storage, resulting in Sirajuddaula being sentenced to one year in prison.

The Department of Environment alerted the Dhaka district administration about the fraud. At that time, deputy director Ilias Mahmud and assistant director Moktadir Hassan were working in the Department of Environment. Notably, another daughter of Nabi Ullah was married to Masud Hasan Patwari, the Director of the Department of Environment, although they separated in 2018.

An analysis of the statements regarding the murders of Shakib and Jahangir reveals that the officials from the district administration who conducted the raids on Sirajuddaula’s cold storage and the relevant officials from the Department of Environment who denied clearance for the operation have been accused. Masud Hasan Patwari has also been named as an accused.

Those government officials contend that they have been accused out of personal vendettas. They allege that Nabi Ullah collaborated with his follower Abu Bakar in this effort.

In an interview with Prothom Alo, Masud Hasan Patwari stated that he was not involved in the cold storage incident, noting that he joined the Department of Environment in 2021, a year after the incident. He claims he was framed due to his divorce from Nabi Ullah’s daughter.

Conversely, Nabi Ullah told Prothom Alo, “I don’t know about the case. Please don’t ask me. A case has been filed against them, and they are spreading various rumours in our name.”

When asked how many people he had accused in the two cases, Abu Bakar responded angrily, “I participated in the mass uprising in the field level; where were you then?”

The statements indicate that a total of 884 individuals have been accused across the two cases, with 442 defendants in each. The list of accused includes the names of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her party leaders, and several former and current police officers. The list of accused in both cases is identical.

Rita Akhter, 17, was shot and killed on 5 August in front of the Mirpur Shopping Complex, near the Mirpur Model police station in Dhaka. In the subsequent case, 395 individuals have been accused, including a former prime minister, a minister, and police officers. Notably, the names of businessman Afroz Uddin from the Muktabangla Shopping Complex in Mirpur-1 and Kazi Zainal, a resident of D Block near Shah Ali police station, are among those accused.

Afroz Uddin claims he has been framed due to his refusal to withdraw his brother’s murder case.

He told Prothom Alo that in 2005, his elder brother, businessman Aftab Uddin, was shot dead by a notorious terrorist named Shahadat over extortion issues. He believes the individuals involved in his brother’s murder are now framing him in Rita’s case.

The plaintiff in the case is Rita’s father, Ashraf Ali, a rickshaw puller, who resides in the Mirpur-2 area. Originally from Kalaye in Joypurhat, he stated, “BNP people were at the police station. They fixed the list of accused.”

Ashraf commented, “I was asked to sign, so I did. I cannot say the exact number of accused.”

When asked if he knew Afroz or Kazi Zainal, Ashraf replied, “How would I know? BNP members gave me some money; they are the ones who included those names in the case. Both the guilty and innocent have been named. I want to save the innocent by testifying.”

Ikramul Haque, a student at Jagannath University, was shot dead on 4 August in the Shah Ali Plaza area of Mirpur-10.

On 7 September, Ikramul’s father, Ziaul Haque, filed a case against 73 individuals, including four residents of Cox’s Bazar: Mizanur Rahman Madbar, his cousin Ziaur Rahman, their nephew Md. Kamal, and Nazmul Hossain Siddiqui.

Mizanur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman told Prothom Alo that their political affiliation with the BNP led to trouble. They allege that Tarek Bin Siddiqui, a former general secretary of the Maheshkhali Upazila Awami League in Cox’s Bazar, burned down their house, forcing them to leave the area 16 years ago. They now live in another part of Cox’s Bazar and have never lived in Dhaka. They believe Tarek Bin Siddiqui influenced Ziaul Haque to include their names in the murder case filed at Kafrul police station.

When asked about the accusations, Ziaul Haque responded to Prothom Alo, “I will not say anything.”

In another incident, Siam Sardar was killed on 18 July in Mirpur-10. Syed Delwar Hossain, the former vice-president of Ward No. 3 of Dhaka north city BNP, has been accused in connection with this case. He claims that someone from his own party included his name in the list of accused to sideline him from politics.

Additionally, a small businessman named Shuvo was killed in Dhanmondi on 19 July. Mizanur Rahman, who had been in Australia since 28 June, has been accused in this case. His relatives are puzzled as to why he has been named.

Asif Iqbal was also shot dead on 19 July in Mirpur-10, with businessman Md. Jalal is accused in the case. Jalal claims he is being framed due to a dispute within a market committee in Mirpur.

There are numerous examples of such accusations. Obtaining bail in a murder case can be challenging. Former commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Naim Ahmed said, it is important to conduct thorough investigations before arresting suspects.

More than 766 people lost their lives during the student uprising and its aftermath, with cases being filed in various districts, including Dhaka. Hundreds of individuals have been charged in each case, and new cases continue to be registered.

Notably, some businessmen who are not involved in politics have also been accused in these incidents, particularly in the industrial areas surrounding Dhaka. Additionally, people from various professions—including journalists, artists, sports figures, and civic activists—have been named in some cases.

Sources indicate that the motive behind filing cases against traders is extortion. In instances where individuals close to “fascists” are accused, their names are often added to murder cases without any legal action being taken against them for amassing illegal wealth, raising questions about the integrity of these cases.

During the Awami League government, BNP leaders and activists were victims of enforced disappearances. At the time the situation drew criticism from civil society and local as well as international human rights organisations. Now, there appears to be a new trend of making accusations “at will.”

Supreme Court lawyer ZI Khan Panna stated to Prothom Alo that it doesn’t take an expert to recognise that these cases are being filed out of personal vendetta and harassment.

* This report, originally appeared in Prothom Alo print and online edition, has been rewritten in English by Farjana Liakat