Appeals to drop 675 accused from 40 cases in Chattogram

A total of 148 lawsuits were filed in Chattogram over the casualties of the July mass uprising, but allegations have been raised over implicating people at random since the very beginning. That is why, the plaintiffs are now filing appeals or affidavits to the court to drop names of some of the accused from the cases, claiming they have been added “mistakenly”.

According to court and police sources, plaintiffs have so far filed 345 such appeals and affidavits to the court seeking the names of 675 accused to be dropped from 40 cases.

Lawyers said such appeals are still being filed. Plaintiffs stated in affidavits and appeals that someone wrote the names of the accused in the case statement, so they have no objection to dropping names of certain accused from the cases.

Apart from this, language of appeals is almost identical.

Police and court sources said 148 cases have been filed against 13,027 people and at least 30,000 unidentified people in Chattogram city and district over the fatalities of the July movement.

According to them, leaders and activists, terrorists, non-political persons, businesspeople and people from different professions were named in these cases. Now, appeals are being filed to drop the names of those people including the Awami League men.

One such name is Awami League’s Chattogram city unit general secretary AJM Nasir Uddin. Besides, appeals were filed to drop the names of at least 20 people, who had previously been accused in various arms, narcotics and extortion cases.

Victims said several lawyers and the leaders and activities of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are behind all these. None of the victims, who were involved in monetary transactions to have their names dropped from lawsuits, disclosed their identities.

Sources concerned said a ring did a phase of transaction in some cases at the beginning. A draft case statement was released on social media and then money was allegedly taken to drop the names from the case.

Chattogram Metropolitan Police Commissioner Hasib Aziz published a public advertisement on 2 January urging people to maintain caution on any “monetary transaction related to lawsuits”.

Investigating officers said many of the cases filed in Chattogram are fabricated. Plaintiffs do not know the accused. Various rings are active behind the cases. Police officials have found themselves in a tight spot over these cases.

Md Faruk, who worked at a shop, was shot dead during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement in Muradpur, Chattogram on 16 July last year.

His father Md Dulal, who is a rickshaw-van puller, filed a case against 269 people, including Awami League leader and former Chattogram city mayor AJM Nasir Uddin, and 50 unidentified people with on the port city’s Panchlaish police station on 28 August.

The plaintiff filed an appeal to the Chattogram metropolitan magistrate court on 8 November to remove the name of AJM Nasir from the cases stating that someone added the name of AJM Nasir in the case statement out of their enmity, without the knowledge of the plaintiff, and Nasir was not involved with the incident.

The plaintiff’s lawyer Akhelur Rahman placed the appeal before the court. He told Prothom Alo that whoever’s name will be kept in the case statement is a matter of the plaintiff. The court recorded the appeal and sent it to the investigating officer.

A month later, the plaintiff of the same case also appealed to the court on 5 December to drop the names of seven more accused.

They are Hasan Murad, Gias Uddin and Mohammad Hossain, Awami League’s Bayezid Bostami thana unit vice-president Abdul Nabi, Awami League’s Khulshi ward 13 unit general secretary Kaiser Mollik, and Awami League activists Asgar Ali and Md Manik.

Previously, the plaintiff also filed an appeal on 7 October to drop the name of Mojibur Rahman, son of former minister Nurul Islam BSc, from the case. Appeals have been filed over the past four months to drop the name of a total of 45 accused from this case.

Panchlaish police station officer-in-charge (OC) Mohammad Solaiman told Prothom Alo police will report what they would find in the investigation.

Several victims told Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity that they have transacted Tk 30,000 to Tk 100,000 through various rings to drop the names from the cases.

However, plaintiff Md Dulal claimed to Prothom Alo, “I filed the case hurriedly, thus, many names came up. That is why I flied the appeals to drop their names.”

He also denied the allegations of dropping the names of the accused from the case in exchange of money.

On 4 August last year, BNP activist Siraj Khan filed a case against 255 people, stating that he was injured at Tinpooler End point in Chattogram.

Later, he appealed to the court to drop the names of 40 accused, including service holders, small traders, and people from various professions, in November and December of that year.

Siraj Khan declined to say anything on the matter to Prothom Alo.

Investigating officer of the case Kotwali police station sub-inspector Md Kamruzzaman told Prothom Alo the accused would face charge sheet only when investigation finds evidence and witnesses against them.

On 5 August, Md Manik sustained bullet injuries in the Mansurabad area. Later, he filed a case against 108 people with the Double Mooring police station on 20 November, but he appealed to the court on 30 December to drop the names of 26 accused, including Awami League leader AJM Nasir.

He said in the appeal that he had no complaint against AJM Nasir. Plaintiff Manik also alleged that someone cunningly included those 26 names, including AJM Nasir, to serve their own interests. Manik also declined to talk to Prothom Alo in this regard.

BNP activist Enayetul Gani filed a case against 301 people at the Hathazari police station mentioning that he was injured on 4 August. Later, he filed an appeal to withdraw the names of 24 accused.

CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Md Selim, who was injured by gunfire, filed a case at the Chandgaon police station. Later, he applied to the court to drop the names of 18 out of the 51 accused.

Likewise, plaintiffs of at least 40 cases have submitted affidavits and appeals to the court to drop the names of a total of 675 accused.

Additional deputy commissioner (prosecution) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police Mofiz Uddin told Prothom Alo that plaintiffs often appeal to remove the names of the accused in various cases, and the court is recording them and sending it to the investigating officers.

Two committees were formed in Chattogram city and district to verify the accused who have become victims of harassment in the cases filed over the mass uprising. CMP commissioner and Chattogram’s superintendent of police are members of both committees.

CMP deputy commissioner (media) Rois Uddin told Prothom Alo that many accused have already filed appeals claiming to become victims of harassment in false cases, and the committees are reviewing these.

Additional superintendent of police (media) of Chattogram district police Md. Russell echoed Rois Uddin saying that police would only submit charge sheets based on findings from the investigations.

Russell Ahmed, central coordinator of Anti-discrimination Student Movement and central organiser (northern region) of National Citizen Party (NCP), expressed frustration over the dealing of the cases filed over the casualties that took place during the July movement.

He told Prothom Alo that many people filed cases for monetary purposes.

Many innocent people have been implicated, but the people who were directly involved in the killings were not made accused, he said. “Even if those people were named in several cases, some plaintiffs are now dropping those names. We demand that real criminals be brought to justice and innocent individuals be cleared,” Russell Ahmed stated.

* This report appeared in the print and online editions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Hasanul Banna.