Attack on Fakhrul: 26 ruling party men sued

Twenty-six activists of the ruling Awami League and its front organisations have been sued over the attack on BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's motorcade in Chittagong's Rangunia upazila.

The accused include Abu Tayab, general secretary of Chittagong north district unit BCL, Pavel, vice-president of Rangunia upazila BCL, Russel alias Rashu, joint secretary of Rangunia upazila BCL, Ikbal Hossain Bablu, former union-level leader of Swechchhasebak League, and Jubo League activists Md Sarwar and Najim Uddin Badsha.

Besides the ruling party men, 25 to 30 unknown people have been accused in the case.

Enamul Haq, a member of pro-BNP lawyers' organisation Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, yesterday filed the case with Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shahidullah Kaisar under the Speedy Trial Act. 

Enamul is also a former general secretary of Chittagong District Bar Association.

The court has directed Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the case.

It also asked the PBI to submit a report by June 18, said the complainant's lawyer Abdus Sattar.

According to the case statement, the attack was carried out to "kill Fakhrul as part of a plot by government high-ups to annihilate the BNP".

On Sunday, Fakhrul's motorcade came under attack in front of Ichhakhali Upazila Health Complex. He along with other BNP leaders was going to visit the landslide victims in Rangamati.

In the attack, seven BNP leaders, including Fakhrul, were injured and five vehicles were vandalised.

From Facebook video footage and images published in different online and newspapers, the accused were identified, it mentioned.

The case statement said Sarwar hit Fakhrul with an iron rod to "kill" him and Najim Uddin Badsha attacked Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and beat him with a stick.

Mahbubur Rahman Shamim, BNP's Chittagong divisional organising secretary, said they lodged the case with the court as they did not feel secured to go to Rangunia for filing the case with local police station.

Contacted, BCL leader Tayab, an accused, said he was in the city on Sunday. “I did not go to Rangunia that day … then how did I attack the BNP leaders?” he said, claiming that the case against him was false.

His father is alive but in the case, it has been mentioned that his father is dead. So it is clear that BNP leaders filed the case, hearing some names from people. They did not know whom they made accused, Tayab added. 

Imtiaz Md Ahsanul Kader Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge of Rangunia Police Station, said he heard about filing of the case. "We will take action as per the court's directive.”

Contacted, Shamsul Alam Talukder, general secretary of Rangunia upazila unit AL, said nobody of their organisation was responsible for the attack.

“Why will we attack them? What is our interest?” he said, adding that, “They are spreading propaganda against us.”

Meanwhile, terming the attack on Fakhrul's motorcade "unexpected and regrettable", AL lawmaker Hasan Mahmud yesterday told parliament that the mystery behind the incident would be unravelled through an investigation.

After the probe, it would be known why and how the incident happened. The home minister already announced that they would take action in this regard, he said.

Hasan, a lawmaker from Rangunia and AL Publicity Secretary, made the comments, participating in the general discussion on the proposed budget for 2017-18 fiscal year.

After the attack, some BNP leaders blamed Hasan for the attack.

He said Fakhrul was going to Rangamati via his constituency changing the scheduled route and he did not inform the police about it.