‘A staged lynching’
Terming the murder of Chhatra League leader Mohiuddin Sohel preplanned, police yesterday submitted the charge sheet before a Chattogram court yesterday, implicating 52 persons including a ward councillor and a Jatiya Party leader.
Investigation officer of the case Jahir Hossain, an inspector of Double Mooring Police Station, submitted it to the prosecution at Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate court, said Md Kamruzzaman of Chattogram Metropolitan Police.
“The magistrate will go over it during the next hearing,” he added.
Saraipara (ward) Councillor Md Saber Hossain and joint secretary of port city JP unit Osman Khan have been implicated in the murder case along with 50 others, said Inspector Jahir. Their connections to the incident were established during investigation, he added.
Saber and Osman are also businessmen and involved in trade at Pahartali Railway Bazar. They are both behind bars now.
During investigation, police found that the murder took place in a preplanned way, following a rivalry over establishing supremacy in the market. They did not want to comment further for the sake of investigation.
On January 7, Sohel, former general secretary of Chattogram Commerce College, was beaten and stabbed to death by a mob -- most of them traders of the bazar -- terming him extortionist.
His brother filed the case, naming 27 persons including Saber, Osman, and 150 unnamed persons with Double Mooring Police Station the next day.
After the murder, Sohel’s family claimed that he was targeted as he had voiced concern on irregularities and other crimes that took place at the market in Pahartali.
At first, police said Sohel was lynched but as the investigation continued they changed their stance.
According to the charge-sheet, Sohel owned a business -- “Mahi Enterprise” -- near the market on railway land. Apart from that, there used to be a longstanding rivalry between him and the market committee, especially Osman and Saber.
On the day, Osman and Saber through loudspeakers asked traders to gather in front of Mahi Enterprise and instigated them to carry out the attack, it added. At one point, a group of miscreants, in a preplanned way, intercepted Sohel in the market area and stabbed him, staging the lynching incident.
Police have made 29 persons witnesses while two accused have given confessional statements before the court under section 164 of CrPC. Name of an accused, Javed Hossain, was dropped as he was killed in a “gunfight” with police on April 23. Till now, 35 persons have been arrested in connection with the case.
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