Getting bail, accused threaten family to withdraw case
The family of the elderly woman, tied up for hours to a betel nut tree over a land dispute in Jamalpur Sadar upazila last week, are being threatened with false cases unless her family withdraws the case against the perpetrators.
Sumon Debnath, son of the woman, Protibha Devnath, 58, from Kendua Khamarpara village in the upazila, filed the case on April 19 with Sadar Police Station, alleging that their neighbour Sultan Mahmud Fakir and four others tied up the woman in a field for hours the day before.
Sumon said his mother went to the disputed land on April 18 morning when their neighbour Sultan Mahmud and his men were making preparations to make a betel leaf orchard on six decimals of land, on which court decision is still pending. Sumon was out of home when the incident took place.
His mother was also raising objections as another six decimals of land belonging to her family were being encroached upon for the orchard by the workers of their neighbour, he claimed.
Soon an altercation ensued and at one stage, Sultan and his men tied his mother to a tree, Sumon said, adding that locals freed her from the spot later and he filed a general diary with Narayanpur Police Investigation Centre the same day.
The next day, on April 19, Nazrul Islam, an accused in the case, was arrested and he was sent to jail after being produced before a court, said Sub-Inspector Asgar Ali, investigation officer of the case at Sadar Police Station.
Sumon Debnath alleged that Nazrul and the other accused have been creating pressure on him and his family members to withdraw the case since April 21 when all the accused including Nazrul secured bail from the court.
Refuting the accusation of tying up Protibha in the field, Sultan claimed that he was busy making the orchard on a portion of 16 decimals of land that he had purchased from Sumon’s uncle Madan Mohon Debnath in 2007.
Members of the Hindu family tried to prevent him from his work and they themselves “tied her up to put the blame on me,” he also said.
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