Attempted murder case, appeal to withdraw on political grounds

An allegation of attempted murder arose five years ago following an attack on members of a family, who were reportedly supporters of a candidate in a Union Parishad (UP) election.

The opposing party allegedly used machetes and sharp weapons in the attack. A case was subsequently filed, and after completing the investigation, the police submitted a charge sheet to the court. The court formally initiated the trial against the accused.

The case, which is currently awaiting the commencement of witness testimony, has recently been recommended for withdrawal on political grounds.

However, the complainant has contested this recommendation in court, asserting that the case is not politically motivated.

The complainant has also submitted written applications to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The case is presently under trial at the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Chattogram, with the next hearing scheduled for 5 April.

According to the case records, the incident took place on 26 December 2021 in the Pantrisha area of Chunati Union under Lohagara upazila.

During the 2021 UP elections, supporters of candidate Jahangir Alam allegedly came under attack by rival party.

The attackers, identified as associates of Jane Alam, reportedly used machetes, sharp weapons and sticks.

In the attack, Nur Ahmad, Bashir Ahmad, and Nurunnahar sustained serious injuries. Additionally, 10 others including Anwar, Rehena Akhtar, Asmaul Husna, and Dilwara Begum—were also injured.

Following the incident, Tanjila Sultana, the wife of candidate Jahangir Alam, filed the case at Lohagara police station.

After completing the investigation, Inspector Nur Ahmad of the Chattogram District Detective Branch submitted the charge sheet to the court on 16 April 2023.

The charge sheet named 30 individuals as accused, including Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Rezaul Bahar, Jane Alam, Irfanul Haque Chowdhury, and Mahabubur Rahman.

All the accused were arrested in connection with the case and are currently on bail.

On 24 February, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court framed charges against all 30 accused and ordered the commencement of trial proceedings. The case is now awaiting witness testimony.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to withdraw cases deemed politically motivated that were filed between 6 January 2009 and 5 August 2024.

Several cases have already been recommended for withdrawal under this policy. The Lohagara case was also recommended for withdrawal after the accused submitted an application.

Upon learning of this development, the complainant filed an application with the court in February, stating that the accused had inflicted serious injuries on her family members using sharp weapons, machetes, and firearms.

The application further stated that the accused had obtained the recommendation for withdrawal from the Ministry of Home Affairs by presenting misleading information and falsely portraying the case as politically motivated. The complainant argued that withdrawal of the case would deprive her of justice.

Tanjila Sultana told Prothom Alo, "The accused attacked our family members during the tenure of the then Awami League government because we did not support them in the UP election. Several of the accused are also facing cases for attacking the anti-discrimination student movement. They carried out this attack over trivial matters during the previous government. This is not a political attack."

She further demanded that the recommendation for withdrawal be rejected and that the accused be brought to justice.

However, accused Sirajul Islam claimed to Prothom Alo, "The case has been filed against us to harass us politically."

He described himself as a former activist of the BNP. In response to a question, he added, "I do not have any association with members of the Awami League. Individuals affiliated with the Awami League may have visited my school, and I may have photographs with them."

When contacted, Ashfaq Hossain Chowdhury, Public Prosecutor (PP) of the Chattogram District and Sessions Judge’s Court, told Prothom Alo, "Most cases of political harassment were filed either by the police or by leaders and activists of the previous Awami League government. The Lohagara case appears to involve an assault motivated by anger over not supporting a particular candidate in the UP election. The prosecution will examine the matter seriously."