Police finally accept case

Police dawdled until last afternoon when the International CHT Commission finally filed a case against Shamo Adhikar Andolan activists for attacking the commission's microbus in Rangamati three days ago.
Officer-in-charge Monu Sohel Imtiaz of Kotwali Police Station in Rangamati first refused to accept the case statement, e-mailed from the commission's Dhaka secretariat around 3:00pm, on the ground that 30-40 unnamed attackers were already sued by police in another case on Sunday evening.
The OC, however, accepted the case around 5:00pm, hours after the Rangamati SP Amena Begum was contacted by the commission over the matter.
The law enforcers' negligence in providing the CHTC delegation with security was blamed for the attack that followed threats from Bangalee settlers' platform Shamo Adhikar Andolan, reports our Rangamati correspondent.
The organisation is backed by opposition BNP and its key ally Jamaat-e-Islami, which opposed Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.  
“As our microbus was going down the slope in front of the ASP's residence on Parjatan Road, some 50 to 60 people, led by Nur Jahan and Hiru Talukder, attacked it by throwing brick chips and stones…” said the case statement written by CHTC coordinator Hana Shams Ahmed.
“…Some people waylaid our microbus, got closer and hit the windowpanes hard with the intention to kill us, injuring Ilira Dewan in the head and Dr Iftekharuzzaman in his right hand fingers,” added the statement.
OC Sohel injured his head and chest as he tried to stop the attackers and the microbus driver was wounded from shattered windscreen.
The attack was carried out around 1:00pm on Saturday, hours after a demonstration by the group of attackers. The CHTC delegation had been at Rangamati Parjatan Motel.
Earlier, the demonstrators prevented the commission from attending a meeting in the morning and also barred journalists from reaching the delegation at the motel, said the case statement.
It added: OC Sohel had gone to the motel to help the delegation leaving Rangamati following a discussion between the deputy commissioner of the district and PM's adviser HT Imam in the wake of demonstrations, blocking of roads, storming into the motel compound and hurling abuses at the CHTC members by activists of Shamo Adhikar Andolan.
On the other hand, the statement of the police case filed on Sunday differed with the one filed by the CHTC in stating that the commission had left the Parjatan motel following a negotiation with six Bangalee organizations, which enforced a 36-hour blockade of road and waterways in the hill district from 6:00am on Friday.
The police case, filed by ASI Afil Ahmad, did not mention the name of the attacker organisation.
Contacted, Rangamati SP Amena Begum refuted the complaint against police that it wasted time in accepting the case.
“The delay occurred as a case was already filed in this connection,” she noted.  
Meanwhile, Shushashoner Janney Nagorik (Shujan) yesterday in a statement condemned the attack on CHTC members and demanded punishment to the attackers.