Staff Reporter :
Leaders and workers of his own party are seriously annoyed with Manjurul Islam Liton, a ruling party MP, who shot a minor boy in his constituency at Sundarganj in Gaibandha district, for his controversial activities.
The ruling Awami League men of Gaibandha have alleged that the MP was involved with many other ‘nefarious acts’ alongside the incident. “Liton got involved in many nefarious acts after getting drunk. But he has not faced any organisational or legal action till now for his misconducts,” Md Abdullah Al Mamun, Mayor of Sundarganj Municipality has said.
Abdullah Al Mamun, also a ruling party leader, further said that MP Litom became reckless day by day, as no action was taken against him. The mayor said that they would launch ‘a massive agitation if the unruly MP is not arrested soon’. Many other leaders and workers of the ruling party made similar allegations against MP Liton, who is also President of Sundarganj upazila unit Awami League. They said that the activities of the controversial MP are tarnishing image of the party.
The leaders and workers want stern legal and organisational action against Liton. “MP Liton should be punished for his nefarious acts, as he was involved with misconducts one after another,” said a leader of Sundarganj upazila Awami League. Recounting some of the misconducts of the MP, local AL leaders alleged that Liton had in the past assaulted magistrates, tried to violate a female dancer of a Jatra troupe, beat a school teacher with sandals and attempted to shoot a man at a local hospital. Shooting the minor boy is the latest example of Liton’s frequent misconducts.
Shahadat Hossain Sourav, a class-IV student of Gopalcharan Govt Primary School, was shot by the Gaibandha-1 MP on Friday morning. According to the victim’s family, Sourav went for a morning walk with his uncle Shahjahan Ali. MP Liton was then returning to his home in Bamandanga from Sundarganj and stopped his car at the intersection.
When the MP saw them, he called them in a hand gesture. Scared, Shahjahan started running away from there. Liton got angry with him and opened fire from his personal gun to the minor boy. Sourav is currently undergoing treatment at the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital.
Saju Mia, father of the Sourav, filed a case against MP Liton with the Sundarganj Police Station on Saturday. The controversial MP remained traceless since Friday night.
Meanwhile, two personal arms of the MP were surrendered before the Sundarganj Police Station on Saturday upon directives of the district police authorities. The MP’s brother-in-law handed over a pistol and a shotgun.
Sourov’s father Saju Mia alleged that the MP’s men had been threatening him with dire consequences. Mother of Sourav Selina Begum said: “Did I vote him to shoot my son? Why did he shoot Sourov? It does not matter whether he is a lawmaker or not, I want him to be brought to the book.”
Sundarganj Upazila Awami League Joint General Secretary Golam Mostofa Babul said, “On May 25 last year, Liton assaulted Executive Magistrates Mejbah Ahmed and Sharif Ahmed when they went to shut down a circus that featured indecent dance routines at Bamandanga’s Abdul Haque College ground.” In the same month, the MP at a Jatra troupe at Kalitola Bazar tried to abuse a female dancer by dragging her down from the stage during a play. The Jatra committee rescued the dancer from him, said Golam Mostofa Babul.
He said that Liton after entering the Sundarganj Upazila Health Complex early in the morning on May 22 aimed a pistol at ward boy ‘Mamun’ threatening to shoot him from point-blank. Mamun managed to run away. The following day, the MP entered the same hospital nearly at the same time and started shooting in the air. “He was drunk on both occasions,” Golam Mostofa Babul added.
According to the local AL leaders, MP Liton beat Ramdev High School’s Headmaster Zahir Uddin with a sandal on July 5 following a dispute over issues related to school management committee.
It was also alleged that some people under the command of MP Liton had recently assaulted Rangpur Palli Bidyut Samity-1 DGM Abdul Halim and Sonali Bank’s Sundarganj branch Manager Abdul Qader.
Upazila Awami Swechchasebak League unit’s President Golam Kabir Mukul said, “MP Liton had also opened fire targeting former Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abu Rafa Md Arif after the latter refused to follow his order. Arif was transferred to another place after the incident,” he said.
Sundarganj AL unit Organising Secretary Sajedul Islam said, “Liton sleeps during the day. Then he gets drunk and roams around at night.”
“He (Liton) visits places in the upazila and keeps insulting people in inebriated condition. Not just general people, he also insults local government officials and uses obscene language,” said the AL leader.
Gaibandha’s Superintendent of Police Md Ashraful Alam said there had been allegations that the MP used firearms in carrying out illegal activities and to create mass panic.
“Police received many complaints against him for creating panic by firing shots from his licensed pistol and shotgun on several occasions without any provocation,” he said.
