Any trouble will trigger public outburst, says prime accused in RAB officer killing

Mass arrests under the guise of operations will not be allowed in Jungle Salimpur of Sitakunda in Chattogram. If anyone is to be arrested, their name and address must be disclosed in advance of any operation.

These remarks were made by Mohammad Yasin, the prime accused in the killing of a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officer in Jungle Salimpur. He said, “If anyone causes trouble by stepping into these crime traps, it will lead to a major public outburst.”

A video of Yasin making these comments spread on Facebook yesterday, Thursday. Inquiries found that he made the remarks the previous afternoon, on Wednesday, at his office in Alinagar area of Jungle Salimpur.

The video shows Yasin speaking for about 29 minutes. There, he denied being a criminal and claimed that the land in Jungle Salimpur is their legally purchased property, from which no one can evict them. He also remarked that a former deputy commissioner who attempted an eviction in Jungle Salimpur has since gone missing himself.

Yasin repeatedly warned of a “public explosion” in his remarks, saying, “…if there is any unwanted incident in this area, it will trigger a public outburst, and the administration will have to bear responsibility for it.”

He also questioned the integrity of the RAB operation carried out in Jungle Salimpur last Monday, demanding an investigation into why RAB personnel conducted the operation. Besides, he blamed former joint secretary (expelled) of Chattogram North District Jubo Dal, Rokon Uddin for the unrest in Jungle Salimpur.

At around 4:00 pm on Monday, RAB-7 Deputy Assistant Director (Naib Subedar) Motaleb Hossain Bhuiyan was killed in a militant attack while RAB was conducting an operation in Jungle Salimpur.

RAB filed a case with Sitakunda police station late Wednesday night, naming Mohammad Yasin as the prime accused. The case names 29 accused, including Yasin and Nurul Haque Bhandari alongside another 200 unidentified suspects.

According to the case statement, when RAB members attempted to arrest suspects, they were attacked with machetes, swords and sticks on the orders of Mohammad Yasin. One suspect who had been detained by RAB was snatched away. Four RAB members were abducted and later rescued by the army and police.

Jungle Salimpur is located about two kilometres west of Asian Women University in Bayezid Bostami area of Chattogram. The area covers around 3,100 acres north of the link road opposite the university. Although it falls under Sitakunda upazila, it lies close to the city. Hathazari upazila is to the east and Bayezid Bostami police station is to the south of the area.

Because Jungle Salimpur is a remote hilly area, it has become a safe haven for criminals. Over the past four decades, thousands of illegal settlements have been built there by cutting government-owned hills. Plot business through hill-cutting still continues, and armed groups have been formed to sustain this business and land grabbing.

These groups maintain round-the-clock armed patrols in the area. Prior to the attack on RAB, clashes between two rival groups in Jungle Salimpur during October last year left one person killed. The following day, two journalists were attacked and beaten while collecting news there.

Police and local residents said there are two rival criminal factions operating in Jungle Salimpur, one led by Mohammad Yasin and the other by Rokon Uddin. During the previous Awami League government, Yasin was a follower of Sitakunda MP and Awami League leader SM Al Mamun.

In the video circulated yesterday, Yasin claimed that Rokon Uddin’s political backing came from BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury. But since 5 August 2024, Yasin has himself claimed to be a follower of Aslam Chowdhury. In a statement to the media on Tuesday, Aslam Chowdhury said he has no followers in Jungle Salimpur and that no one from the BNP is involved in the incident.

When asked about Yasin’s threats regarding operations in Jungle Salimpur, Sitakunda police station officer-in-charge (OC) Mahinul Islam told Prothom Alo Thursday night, “Yasin made these remarks while sitting in his Alinagar office. Our operation to arrest Yasin is ongoing.”

Speaking on the RAB operation, Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman said, “There were more than 50 RAB members. They went there under the assumption that the operation could be carried out successfully. We have now formed an investigation commission, which will look into whether there were any shortcomings in the operation.”