Paralysed, yet implicated
Police sue 85-year-old for 'secret meetings' to plan subversive acts; another man who was abroad also made accused
One is an 85-year-old paralysed man who cannot move out of his bed by himself. Another left the country for Malaysia in February and is still there. Two others are hajj pilgrims -- one of them returned home just yesterday while the other is still to come back.
Yet they all have been implicated in three cases over alleged crimes that took place between September 2 and September 9.
Bogra police filed these cases with various police stations under the Explosive Substances Act on charges of planning to carry out subversive activities.
Abdul Khaleque Sarkar, of Nandiarpara village in the district, took treatment at Bogra Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital from July 31 to August 4. His medical papers show he suffered an “acute stroke”.
His left leg, left hand and parts of his face are paralysed and he cannot even eat on his own.
“Still they made me an accused in a case,” Khaleque told The Daily Star yesterday. He was in tears as he spoke.
The First Information Report (FIR) of the case filed with Dhunat Police Station claims 18 named and 10 to 15 unidentified BNP leaders and activists were holding a “secret meeting” around 7:30pm on September 7 near a madrasa at Sonahata Bazar. They were planning to carry out subversive activities.
On information, police raided the area around 8:05pm, but the BNP leaders and activists fled away. Police later recovered three homemade bombs, some sticks and brickbats, the case statement claims.
Rubel Hossain, 38, who went to Malaysia on February 14, is also an accused in this case, filed on September 7.
Shahinur Rahman, a sub-inspector of Dhunat police who lodged the complaint, said both Khaleque and Rubel were named in the case based on information given by people who live near the madrasa.
According to the FIR, the name of Rubel's father is Amir Hossain.
But relatives and villagers said his father's name is Lutfor Rahman, of Nanglu village. And although there are four more men named Rubel in the neighbourhood, none of their father's name is Lutfor or Amir.
Locals said Rubel was a BNP supporter.
Asked about naming Khaleque and Rubel in the case, Montaz Ali, who is investigating the case, said their names would be dropped from the charge sheet if their involvement could not be established.
HAJJ PILGRIMS IMPLICATED
Khairul Bashar, a former BNP leader of Majhira union, and his wife had gone to Saudi Arabia on August 2 to perform hajj.
He returned to his Sajapur village home around 1:00pm yesterday. His visa number is 6049164235.
Police named him in a case on charges of planning subversive activities on September 2, when he was in Saudi Arabia.
According to the case statement, on the occasion of BNP's founding anniversary, 30 named and 25-30 unnamed BNP leaders and activists were holding a secret meeting at the Shahjahanpur upazila BNP office around 4:30pm. At the meeting near Sajapur village, they were planning “acts of sabotage”.
Police raided the area to find the suspects were gone. But they recovered live homemade bombs, sticks and brickbats, according to the case statement.
The identified accused includes Khairul, who was president of Majhira union BNP until 2015.
Khairul was shocked to learn about the case against him.
“I had gone to Saudi Arabia with my wife to perform hajj. I don't know anything about the incident in Shahjahanpur. Police filed the case to harass me,” he told The Daily Star yesterday upon his return.
The other hajj pilgrim implicated is Mokhlesur Rahman, also a freedom fighter.
He and 36 other identified and some 20-25 unidentified people were named in a case filed on September 9.
The case statement claims the accused were holding a meeting at the house of Shahjahanpur upazila BNP Joint Convener Shafiqul Islam to plan subversive activities.
Police later raided the house and seized 12 petrol bomb-like objects, some petrol-like object and brickbats, it says.
Mokhlesur went to Saudi Arabia on July 21 (visa number 6049413572), said his brother Belal Hossain Mondol.
Belal alleged that police named his brother in the case just to harass him.
Zia Latiful Islam, officer-in-charge of Shahjahanpur Police Station, said Khairul and Mokhlesur might take part in the meeting through phone.
But their names will be dropped if their involvement is not found, he added.
Asked if he joined the meeting by phone, Khairul Bashar said he did not speak to anyone except for his family members during this period.