Irfan Salim has been suspended from the post of councillor of Dhaka South City Corporation’s Ward 30, on charges of moral turpitude and misconduct. City Corporation Section 1 of the Local Government Division issued a circular in this regard on Tuesday.
Irfan Salim is son of member of parliament Haji Salim. A case has been filed against him on charges of assaulting naval officer Lt Wasif Ahmed Khan and his wife. The mobile court sentenced him to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of Tk 50,000 for consuming foreign liquor. The mobile court also sentenced him to another 6 months’ imprisonment for unlawful possession and use of a walkie-talkie. He is presently in jail.
In the circular issued under presidential order and signed by deputy secretary of the local government division, ANM Fazlul Huq, it was stated that if proceedings commence under Section 13 of the Local Government (City Corporation) Act, 2009 against any councilor of the city corporation on charges of moral turpitude and misconduct, there is provision under Section 12 (1) of the act to suspend the accused councilor. Irfan has accordingly been has suspended from the post of councilor of Dhaka South City Corporation Ward 30.
Naval officer Lt Wasif Ahmed was returning home by motorbike on Sunday night when a car, with a member of parliament sticker, hit the bike. Haji Salim’s son Irfan and his people were in the car. Wasif introduced himself and signaled to the car to stop, wanting to speak to them. That was when Irfan and his men got out of the car and beat him up severely, till he was bleeding.
On Monday morning Wasif filed a case at the Dhanmondi police station after which the police and RAB went into action. Dhanmondi police on Monday morning said that Irfan’s driver Mizanur had been arrested. On the same day the court granted permission to take him on one-day remand.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) launched a drive at 12:30 Monday afternoon at Haji Salim’s house in Boro Katra of Old Dhaka. They recovered firearms, liquor, walkie-talkies, very high frequency sets and other items from the house. Then they raided another building in the area, Ashiq Tower.
During the day-long drive, RAB’s mobile court sentenced Irfan Selim to one year in jail for possession of liquor and six months’ imprisonment for illegally possessing a walkie-talkie. In the two cases together, he has been sentenced to one and a half years in prison. Irfan’s bodyguard Md Zahid was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for carrying the illegal walkie-talkie.