Dinajpur district administration officers have expressed their dissatisfaction over the press conference RAB-13 held on Friday on the attack on Ghoraghat upazila nirbahi officer Wahida Khanam.
They also raised question over the release of a Jubo League leader who was arrested following the incident.
This correspondent talked with three officials at the Dinajpur deputy commissioner’s office on Sunday. They said they firmly believe that it was not a mere burglary attempt. They think RAB should not have held the press conference based on just one suspect’s version before further investigation.
Rapid Action Battalion-13 commander Reza Ahmed Ferdous at a press briefing at RAB-13 office in Rangpur on Friday said prime suspect in the attack told RAB that they went to the UNO’s residence to reportedly commit robbery.
The admin officials also expressed their dissatisfaction over release of Ghoraghat upazila Jubo League’s convener Jahangir Alam.
RAB-13 commander also told the press briefing that they released Jahangir after interrogation.
Two officials on condition of anonymity told Prothom Alo on Sunday that local sources informed them chief suspect in the case Asadul Islam is a very close associate of Jahangir. They were partners in various crimes. Jahangir was behind making Asadul a member of Jubo League’s upazila committee.
RAB can better explain why did they release Jahangir. But we think they should’ve investigated more and taken more timeDinajpur DC Mahmudul Alam
Jubo League leader Jahangir, however, said political rivals were trying to concoct his involvement with the incident.
Talking with Prothom Alo over phone on Sunday, Jahangir said RAB has sent him home on Friday night after interrogation.
Asked, Dinajpur deputy commissioner Mahmudul Alam said, “RAB can better explain why did they release Jahangir. But we think they should’ve investigated more and taken more time.”
The DC also said they do not think the attackers went to UNO’s residence just for stealing.
“I still don’t think the attackers intended to only stealing. There are some other reasons behind it,” said the DC.
The authorities are collecting information of UNO’s activities in the upazila over last one year, he added.
Bangladesh Administrative Service Association (BASA) at a press briefing on 5 September also expressed similar views as field officials saying some quarters are out there to divert the incident of attack to a different direction by claiming that it was an 'isolated and burglary' incident. , reports UNB.
It was a premeditated attack in which many more people might have been involved, said president of BASA and senior secretary to the local government ministry Helal Uddin Ahmed.
Wahida Khanam and her father Omar Ali suffered serious injuries in an attack by miscreants at her home on the upazila parishad premises on Thursday.
Wahida is now undergoing treatment at the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital in Dhaka and Omar Ali at the Rangpur Medical College Hospital.