Brawl between BCL men and fraud recruiting agency

Nine Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) leaders and activists, including its Paltan Thana unit president and vice-president, were arrested on Tuesday and taken into remand yesterday, allegedly for assaulting policemen when they tried to stop a brawl between two parties at an office in Paltan area on Tuesday.

In a case filed by Paltan police, the BCL men were taken into a one-day remand each.

Meanwhile involving the same incident, seven people, including the owner of a recruiting agency “Biswas Trade International”, were sent to jail in another case filed over fraudulence and embezzlement of money by promising government jobs.

Metropolitan Magistrate Sadbir Yasir Ahsan Chowdhury passed the orders after Paltan Police Station sub-inspectors Jahangir Hossain and Kazi Ashraful Haque produced them before the court in the afternoon.

The BCL men are: Sheikh Nazmul Hossain Miron, president of Paltan Thana unit; Wahidul Islam,  vice-president of the unit; and activists Arif, Sheikh Rahim, Rasel, Shah Alam Chanchal, Arif Hossain, Kawsar Ahmed Saif and Moazzem.

The other arrestees are: Owner of Biswas Trade International BM Aslam Hossain alias Tuhin, Mehedi Hassan, Jewel, Shariful Islam, Sohel Talukder and Samrat -- all hailing from Gopalganj and Shakhawat Hossain from Faridpur.

On Tuesday afternoon, the BCL men went to the office of Biswas Trade International in Paltan's Azad Center to recover money from Tuhin, who allegedly embezzled money from BCL leader Ahsan Tusher, vice president of the student organisation's private university unit. Tuhin supposedly promised jobs to Tusher's relatives.

When the two parties engaged in a brawl, police on information went to the spot and saw the accused vandalising the office.

“As police intercepted, they attacked Constable Saiful Islam, tore his uniform and started beating him up. At one point, Miron attempted to stab him but missed,” read the case statement, adding that the knife was seized from Miron.

Later additional forces joined the police team and arrested the accused. The police constable and two Ansar men were injured in the incident, according to the case statement.

“The accused [BCL men] have been involved in subversive activities in different parts of the city,” the case statement added.

Meanwhile the other case, filed by BCL leader Tusher, said the recruiting agency owner Tuhin embezzled a hefty amount of money from him, promising government jobs.

Tusher mentioned that he met Tuhin in June last year when Tuhin promised to manage jobs in government primary school and the family planning department.

“For each post he demanded Tk 8 lakh, of which half had to be given in advance,” Tusher mentioned in the case statement, adding that they later agreed to give Tk 2 lakh for each post in advance.

Tusher claimed that he had given Tk 10.8 lakh to Tuhin through Mehedi from July 10 to August 1 in 2018, for managing jobs for four of his relatives, but Tuhin could not provide any job.

Tusher alleged that Tuhin again promised to give jobs to two people in family planning department, and again failed.

Tusher said he later understood it's a fraud agency.

When Tusher wanted his money back, Tuhin was dillydallying, giving back Tk 2 lakh. Tusher alleged that when they went to the office on Tuesday to recover the money, Tuhin and his men attacked them.

Upon visit, the office was found locked around noon yesterday.