Attack on AL office: Former MP, five others secure bail
Former Awami League lawmaker Moazzem Hossain Ratan and five others secured bail in a case filed over attacking and vandalising Awami League office and breaching electoral code of conduct.
Senior judicial magistrate court of Sunamganj’s Dharmapasha announced the verdict today.
Lawyer Abdul Hai Talukder, who represented the plaintiff, said the six accused persons including the former MP secured interim bail today.
They secured interim bail from the High Court in the case on 24 January. Dharmapasha upazila election officer Mohammad Monjurul Haque filed the case at the behest of the EC on 6 January.
Moazzem Hossain claimed the case filed against him and his activists was pre-planned and motivated.
“I respect law as a former member of parliament. Truth will prevail,” he added.
On the evening of 27 December, Awami League party office of Jaysree union in Dharmapasha Upazila was attacked and vandalised allegedly by Sunamganj-1 constituency’s independent candidate Moazzem Hossain.
On 28 December, upazila Awami League’s joint general secretary Shamim Ahmed Murad filed a written complaint to Sunamganj-1 constituency’s election inquiry committee chairman and senior assistant judge Prabal Chakraborty. Moazzem Hussain responded to the show cause notice on 31 December. The inquiry committee took the complainant's testimony on the same day. Later, the chairman of the inquiry committee submitted a report on this matter to the Election Commission.
In the order to the upazila election official, the EC mentioned that independent candidate Moazzem Hossain, Nure Alam Nuru, Abul Kashem, Abul Hashem, Mojahid and Tofail attacked AL activists sitting at the party office in Jaysree union on 27 December. The attackers smashed the smartphones of the activists, tore down the banners and posters of "boat" symbol, and broke chairs and tables. The attackers also verbally abused the AL activists, and threatened to kill them.
A total of eight candidates contested in the parliamentary election from Sunamganj-1. Awami League candidate Ranjit Chandra Sarker won in the election. Moazzem, who was elected AL lawmaker in the 11th parliamentary election, did not get the party nomination and contested as an independent candidate in 12th parliamentary election.