Attack on Bela chief: Ctg court accepts charge sheet against 6 persons

A Chattogram court today accepted the charge sheet against six persons, including Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Ward Councillor Jahurul Alam Jasim, in a case filed for attacking Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).

The court of Metropolitan Magistrate Md Shariful Islam accepted the charge sheet placed by police after holding hearing, said court sources.

The accused are Jahurul Alam Jasim, Billal Hossain Hriday, Abu Noman, Saifuddin Bhauiyan, Anis Chowdhury Razan, and Md Shakil.

Rizana Hasan's lawyer advocate Akhter Kabir Chowdhury told The Daily Star that "The charge sheet was seen by the court and later accepted for starting trial process."

Jahurul Alam Jasim, councillor of CCC ward no 9, razed natural hills in Akbar shah and a part of Sitakunda for long to turn those into residential plots, taking advantage of the indifference of the authorities concerned.

Rizwana Hasan and her team went to Akbar Shah area on January 26 to visit the spots of hill cutting and filling of hill ridges in Akbar Shah by Jasim's men. During the visit, Jasim's men, including Noman, stopped her and at one stage started harassing them. The goons also pelted stones on the microbus carrying the team, forcing them to leave the spot.

Rizwana later filed a case naming six people including Jasim with Akbar Shah Police Station in this connection.

Jasim was also sued by the Department of Environment (DoE) for razing hills in Akbar Shah area several times previously. In April, he was sued by DoE once again after a worker died in landslide while cutting hills.