Barisal mayor Sarwar, 7 JMB men among 51 charge-sheeted
Charge sheet in a murder case against detained mayor of Barisal City Corporation (BCC) Majibor Rahman Sarwar, and 50 other accused including seven JMB cadres and a BCC ward commissioner, was submitted to Sadar Upazila Magistrate's Court yesterday.
Of the accused, 15 people including mayor Sarwar, three JMB cadres and a BCC ward commissioner are now in custody.
After receiving the charge sheet, Magistrate Munim Hassan ordered issuing arrest warrant against 36 other accused who are now absconding.
Asadul Islam Arif, a JMB regional commander sentenced to death in the Jhalakathi judges' killing case, JMB cadres Abu Yusuf Majumdar and Sultan Sharif are now in custody while four other charge-sheeted JMB cadres, Giasuddin, Abdur Rahim, Md Sohel and Abul Bashar Mehedi, are at large.
The joint forces arrested BCC mayor Sarwar, also district BNP president and a former lawmaker, in Dhaka on May 29, ward commissioner Atikur Rahman Atik is in custody as an accused in an attempt to murder case and Sultan Sharif is in custody as an accused in August 17 serial blast cases.
Mayor Sarwar, Atikur Rahman, Abdus Sobhan, Sultan Sharif, Mamun Talukdar and Kalu Kha were interrogated in remand and the five, other than the mayor, gave confessional statements under Section 164 of the penal code.
On the basis of the confessional statements of five arrested accused and five witnesses of the case, names of 30 more people were added with 21 people mentioned in the case filed for murdering Md Shahjahan Howladar alias Tera Shahjahan on September 16, 2003, said the investigation officer (IO), sub inspector Mir Kasem who submitted the charge sheet.
The ten people disclosed the name of mayor Sarwar as the mastermind of the staged lynching of Md Shahjahan Howladar alias Tera Shahjahan, he said, adding that . their statement also revealed Sarwar's involvement with JMB militants.
In the 218-page case documents and 8-page charge sheet it was stated that Police Kamal and Tera Shahjahan were close aides of Majibor Rahman Sarwar and after the murder of Police Kamal just before the parliament election of October 2001, distance was created between Sarwar and Shahjahan.
Withdrawal of blessings of the godfathers from Tera Shahjahan and his threat to blackmail them led to his planned lynching by mob on September 16, 2003, goes the case document.
Tera had earlier assaulted mayor Sarwar's brother and threatened to leak out information of 'political killings, extortion and other crimes by the godfathers before the court.
Shahjahan's wife Shahana Parvin lodged a murder case withthe Sadar Upazila Magistrate's Court on June 5, 2007.
After primary investigation by the order of the court, police registered that allegation as a fresh case for murder of Tera Shahjahan against 21 accused including mayor Majibor Rahman Sarwar, on June 25, 2007.
In the case, complainant Shahana Parvin alleged that a mob led by the accused brutally killed her husband in a preplanned way at Ruiar Pool of the city on September 16, 2003.
She mentioned the names of 21 accused including mayor Sarwar, ward commissioner BNP leader Atikur Rahman, BNP activists Sultan Sharif, Abdus Sobahan Khan,Giasuddin,Kalu Howladar , Shahid Howladar, Rahim Khan,Barek Howladar, Rob Howladar,Kawsar Hossain,Chandu,Monir,Nasir Howladar, Masum Howladar, Alauddin Howladar , Latif Howladar, Sekandar Ali, Zakir Howladar, Kalam Howladar and Zafar Matubbar.
Except mayor, the other accused were the members of the peace and law and order maintenance committee of BCC wardNo 22 led by Sobhan and Sultan, and later Sultan Sharif, Abdus Sobhan khan,Giasuddin,Kalu Howladar , Shahid Howladar, Rahim Khan, were accused in August 17 serial bomb blast cases.
Comments