FIR Manipulation: ACC sues former OC of Puthia

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday sued Inspector Shakil Uddin Ahamed for tampering with FIR of labour leader Nurul Islam murder case in Rajshahi's Puthia in 2019.

ACC Assistant Director Al Amin filed the case with its integrated office in Rajshahi under the Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption laws, said Jahangir Alam, ACC deputy director.

In December 2019, the High Court ordered the ACC for necessary legal action as it found Shakil's involvement in tampering with the FIR was a grave and punishable offence.

Shakil Uddin Ahamed, hailed from Chapainawabganj, was suspended and attached to Sylhet range police in March 2020 after The Daily Star published a report that he was in service though he had been accused in forgery, land grabbing, and an attempted murder.

According to the case description, Nurul was murdered on June 11, 2019, following his dispute with other transport leaders over the election of Puthia Motor Sramik Union.

On the same day, Nurul's daughter Nigar Sultana filed a murder case with Puthia Police Station against eight people, including transport leader Abdur Rahman Patal and local Awami League leader Ahsanul Haque Masud.

In the FIR, she also alleged that then OC Shakil was involved in manipulating the election results in favour of Patal.

But police later submitted an FIR of the murder case to the trial court in Rajshahi, dropping the names of Patal, Masud and OC Shakil.

Nigar later filed a writ petition with the HC, seeking its directive on forming an enquiry committee to probe Shakil's tampering of the FIR.

On September 16, 2019, an HC bench, led by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, directed the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Rajshahi to conduct an enquiry into the allegation.

Rajshahi's then CJM Md Mehedi Hasan Talukder submitted a probe report to the HC in November 2019,holdingfive police officials, including three additional superintendents of Rajshahi police and OC Shakil, responsible.

In December that year, the HC observed that the allegation against Shakil was undoubtedly grave and a punitive offence. Based on the judicial probe, the HC directed the ACC to initiate the next course of legal action.

OC Shakil then filed a petition with the Supreme Court, challenging the HC verdict.

In March 2020, the SC dismissed his appeal and upheld the HC verdict.