Staff Reporter :
Demanding an extensive investigation into the murder of Awami League leader and Freedom Fighter Faruk Ahmed, local people of Tangail submitted a letter to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Ministry on Wednesday.
The letter signed by Abu Taher on behalf of Tangail AL said that Faruk Ahmed was killed in a pre-planned way with an intention to ‘harass and mar opponent group’ in the area.
“In accordance with the plan, two local AL activists Anisul Islam Raza and Mohammad Ali were caught by police. Later, they were compelled to give statements under 164 CrPC following severe torture in custody, and being threatened to kill in crossfire,” the letter said.
“And based on their statements, the police pressed charge sheet indicting Amanur Rahman Khan Rana [MP of Tangail-3] and his three brothers on February 3. Whereas, two times elected lawmaker Rana was very close to Faruk Ahmed. His [Faruk’s] initiatives also helped Rana to win election last time with a margin of 60,000 votes” the letter noted.
Accusing former minister and AL leader Abdul Latif Siddiqui for this conspiracy, the letter said: “To save two members of Siddiqui’s family — Murad Siddiqui and Azad Siddiqui and another BNP leader Ali Imam Tapan — who were accused in murdering MP Rana’s brother Aminur Rahman Khan Bappi and NGO worker Motiur Rahman Matin, the ‘Joj Mia’ drama has been staged with the help of DB Police.”
“The accused Anisul Islam Raza and Mohammad Ali have already lodged complaint to the court by submitting a written application that they were subjected to inhuman torture in the police custody for long 15 days to give the false statement. At that time, police hanged them from the ceiling fan and sprayed hot water on their faces. Besides, police threatened to kill taking them to an unknown place. Both of them also said that their bodies bore several marks of injuries of police torture,” it said.
In this situation, the local people in the letter urged the JS body to initiate a fresh probe into the incident.
Parliament Secretariat officials said that the letter has been submitted to chairman’s office and the matter would be discussed in the next meeting of JS body. If the committee members want, there would be an investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, a Tangail court on September 26 rejected the bail plea of MP Amanur Rahman Khan, who is detained in jail pending trial of the murder of Faruk Ahmed.
Court Inspector of Police Anwarul Islam said MP Rana had appealed for bail to attend the ongoing session in Parliament on Sunday. But first Additional District and Sessions Judge Abul Mansur Mia dismissed his petition.
Earlier on September 18, the court sent him to jail rejecting his bail prayer after he surrendered before the court.
The same court on September 24 sent two more accused in the murder case to jail rejecting their bail prayers. The accused are Nasir Uddin Nuru and former Councilor of Tangail Municipality Masudur Rahman Masud.
Of the 14 charge-sheeted accused, seven, including Rana, are now behind the bars while the rest seven are on the run. Among the arrestees, Aminul Islam Raja and Mohammad Ali made their confessional statements to police.
Those absconding are Rana’s brothers Sahidur Rahman Khan Mukti, former mayor of Tangail municipality, and Jahidur Rahman Khan Kakon, a business leader of Tangail, and Saniyat Khan Bappa, former vice-president of Bangladesh Chhatra League [BCL], Kabir Hossain, close aide of MP Rana, gatekeeper Babu alias Datvanga Babu, and former two Jubo League men — Alamgir Hossain Chan and Sanwar Hossain Sanu.
A court issued a warrant for the arrest of the 10 accused in the murder case on April 6, after accepting the charge sheet submitted on February 3 by Inspector Golam Mahfizur Rahman.
On Jan 18, 2013, AL senior leader Faruk’s bullet-riddled body was found in front of his home at College Para in Tangail. His wife Nahar Ahmed filed the murder case with Tangail Model Police Station three days later.
