Probe report, hearing on BGB ‘defamation’ case against BLAST worker today

Police will submit a probe report on a ‘defamation’ case of Tk 100 crore filed by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) against a female worker of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) today, Sunday.

The hearing on the case will also be held today, reports state-run news agency BSS.

Teknaf police station officer-in-charge inspector Shariful will submit the report before a judicial magistrate court, said a BGB statement.

In the case, BLAST employee Farzana Akter was accused of “tarnishing” the image of the BGB by bringing a false charge of gang rape against its personnel.

Earlier, on 10 November, senior judicial magistrate Tamanna Farah asked the officer-in-charge of Teknaf police station to submit a probe report within seven working days in the case and fixed 22 November for hearing.

BGB’s nayek subedar Md Ali Molla filed the case on the same day with the magistrate court accusing the female worker who lives in Cox’s Bazar.

According to the case, the BGB officer accused the BLAST worker for defaming the image of the border security force with her false allegation of rape against BGB members.

According to BGB source, on 8 October, Farzana Akhtar was heading to Teknaf upazila from Leda by a CNG-run auto-rickshaw. As she along with four others were passing through the Damdamia BGB check post on Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Highway, their vehicle was stopped for a routine search.

The BGB source also claimed that when everyone was cooperating with the BGB, Farzana became offended for being stopped. She, identifying herself as an employee of BLAST, tried to avoid the search. Out of suspicion, female BGB personnel arrived at the scene and searched her.

Later, she accused the members of the outpost of gang-raping her, the BGB source further claimed.