Case filed 6 days after lynching 2 Jamaat activists in Ctg's Satkania
A case has been filed against 62 individuals, including two former union parishad chairmen and a leader of the Awami League-affiliated Tanti League, in connection with the lynching that led to the deaths of two Jamaat-e-Islami activists in Chattogram's Satkania.
According to police, the case was filed on Sunday (9 March), six days after the incident, at the Satkania Police Station by Surmi Akter, the wife of the deceased Abul Salek.
The First Information Report (FIR) names 47 accused individuals, while an additional 10-15 unnamed persons have been listed as suspects. The plaintiff claims that the attack was premeditated and took place during a mediation meeting.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
Satkania Police Officer-in-Charge Zahedul Islam said an investigation is ongoing. However, no arrests have been made in connection with the case.
What's in the case statement?
The FIR states that the dispute originated on 18 February, when a CNG-run auto-rickshaw owned by a person named Abdul Noor was set on fire. The deceased, Abul Salek and Nezam Uddin, attempted to mediate the issue on 22 February, imposing a fine of Tk7 lakh on the responsible parties.
However, the victim, Abdul Noor, remained dissatisfied, leading to a second mediation meeting scheduled for 3 March.
On the night of 3 March, Salek and Nezam were at a local tea shop near the meeting venue when they were allegedly confronted by the accused, including three individuals named Azizul Haque, Ishaq, and Mizan.
The FIR states that the accused launched a brutal attack using iron rods and sharp weapons. Ishaq and Azizul reportedly struck Nezam on the head with iron rods, severely injuring him, while others assaulted Salek as he tried to intervene.
As per the complaint, one of the accused, Harun, allegedly spread false rumours of a robbery through the local mosque's loudspeaker, inciting local residents to join in the attack. The crowd, believing Salek and Nezam to be robbers, assaulted them further.
The FIR also details how the victims were dragged into a tin-shed house, where they were brutally beaten with machetes, knives, and iron rods. Nezam was reportedly killed when an accused named Belal pressed his throat with his foot. Later, Salek was also subjected to severe assault, including being shot by Harun, as per the complaint.
'Lynched Jamaat activist fired looted pistol'
While speaking at a press briefing on 6 March, Chattogram District Superintendent of Police (SP) Saiful Islam said one of the Jamaat activists lynched in the incident fired several rounds of bullets from a pistol looted from the Kotwali Police Station in Chattogram.
Police recovered the pistol from the scene that night and filed a case in connection with the recovery, he said.
He also said the duo visited the village eight times in the last two months before the incident and police found evidence of their involvement in extortion.
"On the day of the incident, they arrived with seven CNG-run auto-rickshaws and brandished weapons at local businesses. They had previously assaulted the wife of a union parishad member, sparking public outrage," SP Saiful said.
SP Saiful Islam further said that there was no evidence of any political party leader or UP chairman being present at the time of the killings.
"We have not found any political connections or opposition influence behind the incident," he added.
a
