A case has been filed against Abdul Halim, father of reserved women’s seat MP and National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Nusrat Tabassum, over allegations of demolishing a house, assault, looting and grabbing land in Daulatpur Upazila of Kushtia.
Idris Ali, 67, of Bagoan village in Mathurapur Union, filed the case with Daulatpur Police Station on Saturday. Halim is the sole named accused, while eight to 10 unidentified people have also been accused.
Kushtia Additional Superintendent of Police Faisal Mahmud confirmed the case, saying Sub-Inspector Mohsin Chowdhury would investigate it.
According to the complaint, Ali bought 4.25 kathas of land from Halim’s two brothers around five years ago, took possession and built a house there. He alleged that Halim later planned to take over the property.
The complaint said Halim and his associates attacked Ali’s house with locally made weapons on September 13 last year, damaging its fencing, doors, windows, tin roof and furniture, causing losses estimated at Tk250,000.
Ali and his wife, Mina Khatun, were allegedly beaten when they tried to resist. The attackers also allegedly took away three beds, 10 bundles of tin sheets and other valuables worth around Tk150,000.
Ali further alleged that Halim filed a separate case against him on September 16 last year, leading to his imprisonment. After securing bail, he learnt that Halim had occupied the disputed land, allegedly using his daughter’s influence.
Ali said threats of being implicated in an arms case forced him and his family to leave the area and take shelter at his in-laws’ home.
He said he had delayed filing the case because of threats and security concerns. He also expressed fear that he and his family could be falsely implicated in a case over a fire at Halim’s house on November 12.
Contacted over the allegations, Halim said he was unaware of the case. He claimed Ali had disputes with several people in the area and had been in hiding since August 5, 2024. He suggested Ali might have filed the case at someone else’s instigation.
Fire at Nusrat’s ancestral home
The case comes days after a fire broke out at Nusrat’s ancestral home early on November 12. Nusrat and other NCP leaders alleged that petrol bombs had been used in the attack.
Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said investigators initially believed no petrol bombs had been used and that an electrical short circuit was a likely cause because of old wiring. He said action would be taken if further investigation established sabotage.
However, on Friday, Tozammel Haque, an assistant general manager of the Pragpur Rural Electricity Sub-Zone Office in Kushtia, said an inspection of the meter, wiring and main switch found no signs of a short circuit. He also said the cut-out and transformer fuse were intact.