PBI asked to investigate the case of gunfire on farmers in Ctg
Police dropped the name of Awami League MP’s brother-in-law Md Ruhullah Chowdhury, prime accused in the case, from the chargesheet
A Chattogram court has asked the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the case of firing on farmers in Charati Union of Chattogram's Satkania upazila on 30 September last year that left at least seven people shot by bullets.
Chattogram Senior Judicial Magistrate Awlad Hossain Junaid gave the order on Sunday after hearing a no-confidence petition filed by the plaintiff of the case, Zahid H Chowdhury, the lawyer for the plaintiff, told The Business Standard.
Plaintiff Abdul Malek, who suffered bullet injuries in the incident, filed the petition against the chargesheet as the police dropped the names of Charati Union Parishad Chairman Md Ruhullah Chowdhury, the prime accused in the case, and other influential persons from it.
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Md Ruhullah Chowdhury is the brother-in-law of Awami League lawmaker from Chattogram-15 Abu Reza Mohammad Nezamuddin Nadwi.
"We could have died that day. Luckily, I survived and some others are crippled. But since the case, no one from the police even inquired me once. They, however, submitted the charge sheet, dropping the name of the key accused. I want a proper trial of the case," Malek said.
According to the case statement, workers of SS Dredger and Engineering Company Limited, the contractor of the Water Development Board, were extracting sand from the Sangu River near Keshuarchar Senerchar ghat at North Charati.
A dispute arose over dumping the excavated sand on the farmer's land with the help of Ruhullah. Farmers were reluctant to keep sand on the land as it will be harmful to their crops. But with the help of Ruhullah, the contractor company installed pipes to keep sand on farmers' land in the Charati union of Satkania upazila.
Farmers protested this work to save their farmlands on 30 September 2021. People of UP Chairman Ruhullah Chowdhury clashed with the aggrieved farmers, leaving at least seven people shot by bullets and several others injured.
Later, bullet-wounded Abdul Malek filed a case with Satkania police station against 14 people, making Ruhullah Chowdhury the key accused.
The police brought charges against six people – Mainuddin Hasan, Mohammad Mohaymenul Islam Chowdhury Fahim, Md Hafizur Rahman, Md Shaheen Alam and Md Zahirul Islam.
However, law enforcers dropped the names of nine people, including Ruhullah, from the charge sheet.
