Affidavits submitted to the Election Commission show that 132 criminal cases remain pending against 15 Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidates contesting constituencies in Chattogram in the 13th national parliamentary election.
Former BNP joint secretary general Aslam Chowdhury first contested a national election in 2008, when he had no cases filed against him. Since then, 132 cases were filed in his name. Of those, 80 remain pending, while he has been acquitted or discharged in 52 cases.
Aslam Chowdhury is not alone. Most BNP candidates nominated in Chattogram faced multiple cases, the majority of which were filed during the tenure of the Awami League government that was ousted in the student-led mass uprising of 5 August, 2024.
BNP has nominated 17 candidates for Chattogram’s 16 constituencies. Of them, only Sayeed Al Noman, son of late BNP vice-chairman Abdullah Al Noman and candidate in Chattogram-10, and Mostafa Kamal Pasha, an executive committee member contesting Chattogram-3 (Sandwip), reported no cases in their current affidavits.
The remaining 15 candidates faced a combined total of 371 cases, of which 214 have been withdrawn or resulted in acquittals. Another 132 cases remain under trial, while the rest have been stayed.
Candidates are required to disclose both pending and past cases in their election affidavits.
Following the 2008 election, which brought the Awami League-led grand alliance to power, BNP remained in opposition. The Awami League went on to win three subsequent controversial elections before being toppled in the August 2024 uprising. During this period, BNP leaders and activists faced a wave of cases, many of which they describe as politically motivated.
The term “fictitious cases” gained currency during this time, referring to cases in which opposition leaders and activists were named without direct involvement. BNP leaders were charged under laws including the Special Powers Act, Explosives Act, ICT Act, and the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Aslam Chowdhury, contesting Chattogram-4 (Sitakunda), has the highest number of cases among BNP candidates. He was imprisoned from 2016 until his release following the government’s fall on 5 August, 2024.
Mohammad Abu Sufian, former convenor of BNP’s South District and candidate in Chattogram-9 (Kotwali–Bakalia), faced 42 cases, of which he has already been acquitted or discharged in 41. One case remains pending.
Nurul Amin, BNP candidate in Chattogram-1 (Mirsharai), faced 38 cases, with 19 still under trial.
In Chattogram-12 (Patiya), BNP’s sheaf-of-paddy candidate is Mohammad Enamul Haque, senior joint convener of the party’s South District unit. A total of 32 cases had been filed against him. He has so far been discharged in 11 cases, while the remaining 21 are still pending.
In Chattogram-2 (Fatikchhari), BNP has nominated Sarwar Alamgir, a former joint convener of the Chattogram North District BNP. A total of 27 cases had been filed against him. He has been acquitted in five cases. Of the remaining 22 cases, 12 are currently stayed.
BNP has nominated two candidates in Chattogram-6 (Raozan): suspended central committee vice-chairman Gias Uddin Qader Chowdhury and former North District BNP convener Golam Akbar Khandaker. Of the two, 22 cases had been filed against Gias Uddin Qader Chowdhury. He has been discharged in 17 cases, while five cases remain pending, in which he is currently out on bail. Golam Akbar Khandaker has been discharged in seven cases.
In Chattogram-14 (Chandanaish–part of Satkania), BNP candidate Jasim Uddin Ahmed has been discharged in five of the 11 cases filed against him. In Chattogram-15 (Satkania–Lohagara), BNP candidate Nazmul Mostafa Amin has been discharged in seven cases.
In Chattogram-8 (Boalkhali–Chandgaon), BNP’s sheaf-of-paddy candidate and city BNP convener Ershad Ullah had six cases filed against him, five of which have already been disposed of through discharge.
In Chattogram-5 (Hathazari–Bayezid Bostami), BNP central committee assistant organizing secretary Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin has been discharged in four cases. Mishkatul Islam Chowdhury, BNP candidate in Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali), has been discharged in four cases.
In Chattogram-7 (Rangunia), Hummam Qader Chowdhury has been discharged in two cases, while Sarwar Jamal Nizam, BNP candidate in Chattogram-13 (Anwara–Karnaphuli), has been discharged in one case.
In Chattogram-3 (Sandwip), sitting lawmaker Mostafa Kamal Pasha did not list any cases in his affidavit submitted for the current election. However, in the affidavit he submitted to the Election Commission for the 11th national parliamentary election in 2018, he had disclosed 10 cases, all of which had already been disposed of at the time.
Former Chattogram South District BNP convener and candidate Mohammad Abu Sufian told Prothom Alo that during what he described as the “fascist” Awami League government, BNP leaders and activists were targeted with a series of false, fabricated and so-called “fictitious cases.” Many were forced to spend days in prison, while others stayed away from their families at night due to fear of arrest, he said.
Abu Sufian added that he himself had been named in more than 40 cases. However, following the fall of what he termed an autocratic government, many cases against BNP leaders and activists have already been withdrawn after review, and he expressed hope that the remaining cases would also be withdrawn.