‘4 of 5 arrestees innocent; culprits being shielded’

Four of the five people arrested over the assault and humiliation of freedom fighter Abdul Hai Kanu were not involved in the incident, the victim said yesterday.

"One of them even spoke in my favour after the incident. I think police arrested them to show that many people have been arrested," Kanu told The Daily Star yesterday afternoon.

The arrestees are Ismail Hossain Majumder, 43; Jamal Uddin Majumder, 58; Ilias Bhuiyan, 58; Abul Kalam Azad; 48; and Imtiaz Abdullah Sajjad, 19.

Of them, only Ismail Hossain Majumder was involved, Kanu said, adding that two of the arrestees were actually listed as witnesses in his police complaint.

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Freedom fighter leaves home following harassment

He added, "I'd submitted a written complaint with Chauddagram Police Station, accusing 10 named people. But police arrested only one of them. They couldn't arrest the other identified attackers. The real perpetrators are being protected while innocent villagers like Jamal are being punished."

Contacted, police declined to comment on the allegation.

Meanwhile, the five arrestees were yesterday produced before a Cumilla court, which sent them to jail, said Jahir, sub-inspector of the court's General Recording Office.

Freedom fighter Abdul Hai Kanu was assaulted and humiliated by a group of people in Kuliara village of Cumilla's Chauddagram upazila on Sunday.

A video that went viral on social media showed Kanu being forced to wear a garland of shoes while being ordered to leave the area.

Hours later, he felt compelled to leave his ancestral home and take shelter in a relative's house in Feni.

Kanu alleged the attackers were Jamaat activists.

The incident sparked outrage across the country.

On Tuesday, police arrested the five on charges of being involved in the incident.

Jamal's arrest  drew criticism from locals, who said he was being harassed for standing up for Kanu.

After Kanu was assaulted, Jamal posted a video statement on Facebook in support of the freedom fighter, locals said.

The Daily Star saw the video clip, in which Jamal said Kanu had a dispute with former railways minister Mujibul Haque, which led to multiple cases filed against the freedom fighter.

Jamal added that Kanu was earlier forced to stay away from his village for around 14 years due to the rivalry with Mujibul.

Contacted, ATM Aktaruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Chauddagram Police Station, declined to comment in this regard, saying it is an ongoing investigation.

"The freedom fighter's complaint was recorded as a case today [yesterday]," he said. 

Meanwhile, the Cumilla's Additional Superintendent of Police Arafatul Islam could not be reached over the phone for comments despite repeated attempts.