‘Didn’t break my spirit’

Golam Yazdani, director of the largest-ever project in the history of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), was adamant to follow the rules, and so, he became an obstacle to those who wanted to get work by violating the law.

This eventually led to contractors attacking his office. They assaulted Yazdani, and vandalised his nameplates and office equipment on Sunday afternoon, when Yazdani just entered his room.

But he has not moved from his morals. "They wanted to break my spirit by attacking me, but they don't  know that this episode has actually uplifted my spirit," he said.

Yazdani is not a CCC official. He is an executive engineer of Local Government Engineering Department's (LGED) procurement unit. The government appointed him as director of the project "Development of various roads including Airport Road and important infrastructure development under jurisdiction of CCC" on August 14 last year. He joined on August 31.

While talking to The Daily Star yesterday morning, Yazdani said he did not know any of the around 20 people who entered without permission on Sunday afternoon.

"They introduced themselves as contractors and wished to talk about the tender," said Yazdani. "I told them there is nothing to talk about, as everything will be completed as per rule, but if they couldn't understand any clause, I could help them."

"Three to four of them sat before me and asked whether I was showing  'excessive honesty'," he said. "I told them I didn't do anything  by violating rules in my service life."

"At one point, they started hurling abusive words," he said. "I didn't get into any altercation. Despite this, they started hitting me on my chest and face, and vandalising my office and nameplate."

"All that happened in 10 to 15 minutes… I didn't know what to do," he said. "I never faced such an incident in my life."

CASE FILED, FOUR ARRESTED

Kamal Uddin, a security officer of CCC, filed a case with Khulshi Police Station on Sunday night over the attack.

In the case, eleven named people and some 20 unknown were made accused, said police.

After filing the case, police conducted an overnight raid and arrested four, said Santosh Chakma, officer-in-charge of Khulshi Police Station.

The arrestees are Sanjay Bhowmick Kangkan, Mahmudullah, Md Firoj and Subhash.

Police are conducting drives to arrest the other accused, he said.

NONE WOULD BE SPARED: MAYOR

When asked about the attack, CCC Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said no one involved in the incident will be exempted. "We have already taken legal action. Those involved are being identified by checking CCTV footage of the building."

Asked who carried out the attack, Rezaul said those who wanted to get work in an unfair manner did this. "Apart from taking legal action, if they are enlisted contractors of CCC, they will be blacklisted," he said.

Meanwhile, Engineers Institution Bangladesh (EIB) condemned the attack of Yazdani.

In a statement -- signed by Md Shahadat Hossain Shiblu, honourary general secretary of EIB -- EIB yesterday demanded quick trial of the perpetrators.