Before the election, this time also ‘disappearance’ case
As in 2018, this time too there are allegations of absenteeism cases before the elections. This time the plaintiff is the leader of most of the ruling parties.
The busiest area of Old Dhaka is Banianagar Mor in Sutrapur. On December 30, 20 to 25 leaders of BNP and its affiliates started shouting anti-government slogans at this junction. When they were banned from raising anti-government slogans, they suddenly attacked the leaders and workers of Awami League. Later detonated the cocktail to kill.
This is the commentary on the statement of the case made by Khair Uddin Ahmed, leader of Awami League, Ward No. 43 of Dhaka South City. But when asked the people of the place and around, no one could say that they had seen or heard such an incident.
The police seized parts of the exploded cocktail and two unexploded cocktails from the scene as evidence, the lawsuit said. But the plaintiff in the case claimed that bricks were thrown but said that there was no cocktail attack.
The police have registered a case under the Explosive Substances Act because of the incident of sabotage. Those accused in the case are being arrested and handed over to the court. No one is being harassed.
In the last seven months, Awami League leaders have filed 40 cases in various police stations of the capital alleging such attacks. The names of 1,701 leaders and workers of BNP and its organizations were mentioned as defendants in these cases from November 17 last year to May 30 this year. The number of unidentified accused is another 2 thousand 575 people.
BNP leaders claim that all these are ‘disappearance cases’. That is, the incident did not happen, yet the case was filed. Due to which the details and clauses of the case are almost same.
Before the 2018 National Assembly elections, there were numerous such cases across the country with the police as plaintiffs. In the three months before that election (September-November) 697 cases of sabotage were registered in Dhaka city alone. In September 2018, there were 578 cases in Dhaka. These cases under the Explosives and Special Powers Act came to be known as ‘Gaybi cases’. BNP leaders and workers are saying that the purpose of these cases is to make the BNP leaders and workers leave their homes. However, the exception this time is that the leaders and workers of the ruling party are being sued.
The names of 1,701 leaders and workers of BNP and its organizations were mentioned as defendants in these cases from November 17 last year to May 30 this year. The number of unidentified accused is another 2 thousand 575 people.
However, this time (in seven months) the information of 10 such cases by the police has been found in different police stations of Dhaka. 250 leaders and workers of BNP and 110 other unidentified people have been accused in these 10 cases of assault on police, attempted murder and cocktail throwing. The local leaders of the opposition party are calling these ‘unseen cases’. Apart from this, there have been some other cases centered on BNP’s program. They are not treated as such.
When asked about the complaint of filing a new disappearance case, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Deputy Commissioner of Media and Public Relations Department Farooq Hossain told Prothom Alo , ‘The police have filed a case under the Explosives Act because of the sabotage incident. Those accused in the case are being arrested and handed over to the court. No one is being harassed.’
I saw in 2018, the police left the house with absentee cases against BNP leaders. This time again, the ruling party leaders are filing a case against hundreds of BNP leaders by staging an attack on Awami League leaders.
In Dhaka, 35 of the 40 cases filed by leaders of Awami League and its affiliates took place last November and December. These cases took place when the heat was created in politics around the consecutive divisional rallies of BNP and the December 12 Dhaka rally. The main allegation is that the leaders and activists of BNP and its affiliates attacked and injured the leaders and activists of Awami League, Jubo League and Chhatra League with indigenous weapons, tried to kill them, vandalized cars, vandalized party offices and caused cocktail explosions.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed these allegations as ‘false’. He told Prothom Alo , ‘There was no incident of such attack or cocktail explosion. Awami League leaders are giving a new type of disappearance case to make BNP leaders and workers leave their homes ahead of the elections.
Secretary General of BNP said, ‘I saw in 2018, the police had filed a case against the leaders of BNP and left the house. This time again, the ruling party leaders are giving cases against hundreds of BNP leaders by staging an attack on the leaders of the Awami League.
As far as I know, no fight took place that evening. If the cocktail had exploded, we would have heard it.
Various statements about the incident
As a result of filing such cases against the leaders and workers of the government party, hatred and intolerance will increase among the leaders and workers of the political parties. This may result in the country becoming unstable in the future.
This reporter made a ground investigation at the place (March 14 to July 19) of 17 such cases where cases of assault and cocktail explosion have been filed. To know what happened on the day of the incident, the residents, shopkeepers and the surrounding people spoke to them. Among them, people from 15 places said that they did not see or hear incidents of attacks on Awami League leaders and workers with sticks and cocktail explosions. However, some residents of Demra’s Dogair Bazar and Khilgaon’s Gudaraghat said they heard cocktail explosions in front of the Jubo League office near Dogair Bazar and in front of Jasim Hotel in Gudaraghat on the dates mentioned in the case. No one could say who or who cracked the cocktail.
The venue of the case mentioned at the beginning of this report is Banianagar Junction in Sutrapur. Talked to Maqbul Hossain, an employee of a shop there, on March 14. He told Prothom Alo , ‘As far as I know, no fight happened here that evening. If the cocktail had exploded, we would have heard it.’ Khayer Uddin Ahmed, the plaintiff in this case , also told Prothom Alo that the cocktail explosion did not happen. However, he claimed, ‘BNP people suddenly beat us that day. They injured some people by throwing brickbats.’ Khayer claims to be the President of Unit No. 3 of Ward No. 43 Awami League.
The plaintiff also says that if the cocktail explosion did not happen, then how can the case be filed under the Explosives Act? Sutrapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mainul Islam told Prothom Alo on July 18 that the case has been taken because the cocktail explosion happened. Legal action is being taken against the people involved in this incident.
In another case, it is said that on November 23 last year, around 7:30 pm, BCL leaders and activists were meeting in front of Bagicha Mosque in Shahjahanpur at Wasar water pump ground. Then BNP leaders and workers attacked them. Blast the cocktail.
After two weeks of the case, on December 7, the witness of the seizure list, Wasar pump operator Atarul Haque was spoken to. He told Prothom Alo that on that day some BCL leaders and activists were staying at the water pump field. However, they did not see anyone being beaten. But he heard a loud noise.
The same day, the owner of a shop in front of the pump. Zainal told Prothom Alo that he did not see any fighting in the Wasa water pump field that day.
BNP people beat us that day. Throwing brickbats injured some people.
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