The government suspends BNP-backed Khulna City Corporation Mayor Moniruzzaman Moni as he has been charged in two violence cases. Photo Collected from KCC official website

The government has suspended BNP-backed Khulna City Corporation Mayor Moniruzzaman Moni as he has been charged in two violence cases.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry issued an order in this regard today.

As the Khulna court accepted charge sheets against Moni, also general secretary of city unit of BNP, in two sabotage cases filed with Kotwali Police Station, he has been suspended as per the Local Government (City Corporation) Act-2009, the order signed by deputy secretary of the local government division Abdur Rauf said.

Contacted, Deputy Secretary Abdur Rauf said Moni was suspended as per the order of the president as Khulna court took cognisance of charges against him.

Mayor Moniruzzaman left his office in the afternoon after KCC executive officer Gokul Chandra Gosh gave the copy of the order to him.

The law says any one of the panel mayors of the KCC could be made acting mayor.

On September 13, deputy secretary of the ministry Soroj Kumar Nath sent a letter to the Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) to know whether any criminal case was filed against the mayor and whether police pressed any charges against him.

On June 11, police pressed charges against 52 leaders and activists of the BNP-led 20-party alliance, including Khulna City Corporation Mayor M Moniruzzaman Moni, in two cases filed for attacking cops and vandalising vehicles.

Moni was elected KCC mayor defeating ruling Awami League-backed candidate Talukdar Abdul Khaleque in the city polls held in June, 2013.

Earlier, Sylhet City mayor Ariful Huq, Rajshahi City mayor Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul and Gazipur City Mayor MA Mannan were also suspended on the same ground.