Administration officials in Narayanganj were infuriated when Sheikh Ali Ahmed, a resident of the city’s Masdair area, sought information on the wrongdoings that Nur Hossain was conducting in the name of jatra (theatre) at the Shimrail truck stop.
Ali asked Narayanganj former deputy commissioner Monoj Kanti Boral and former police super Syed Nurul Islam to disclose the information in accordance with to the Right to Information Act. He also petitioned to stop indecent acts, gambling and drugs trade from continuing at the Shimrail truck stop.
For trying to exercise his right to information, Ali was made an accused in three cases filed against BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami activists with Narayanganj Sadar, Fatullah and Siddhirganj police stations. Former police super Nurul played a role in including Ali’s name in the cases.
Ali, an employee at a private organisation, is not associated with any political party. Yet, he realised he had enraged law enforcers by seeking information about Nur’s wrongdoings when his details appeared in the case statement.
Along with six former policemen, Ali too had to give a deposition at the hearing yesterday which was organised by the probe committee formed by the Public Administration Ministry following a higher court directive.
He said he had sent letters to Monoj and Nurul on September 11 last year asking for the information. In response to the query, the deputy commissioner, replied on September 17, saying the district administration had not permitted any such jatra.
On October 3, Ali received a letter signed by District Administration Assistant Commissioner Tasnim Jebin Binte Sheikh which said proceedings of a higher court writ petition (no 3694/2013) in this regard were underway.
Another letter from the office of police super was sent to Ali on September 18, which carried the same response. After receiving the letter, Ali, wrote anonymously to the police super on the same day, asking him to take actions to stop Nur’s illegal acts.
Nurul, however, did not take any step and kept mum.
When Ali saw his name in the three cases with the other accused, he informed Nurul of it over the phone. Nurul told him he would look into the matter.
Ali said yesterday that the seven lives would not have been lost if the administration had taken action at the time.
Six policemen quizzed
The probe committee interrogated six police officials, including two suspended officers-in-charge of Fatullah Model and Siddhirganj police stations, yesterday, regarding the gruesome seven murders in Narayanganj.
The six were Akter Hossain, former officer-in-charge of Fatullah Model police station, Abdul Matin, former officer-in-charge of Siddhirganj police station, Saiful Islam, former inspector (investigation) of Fatullah Model police station, Abdul Awal, former inspector (investigation) of district detective branch of police, Fazlul Haque, former sub-inspector of Fatullah Model police station, and Jahirul Islam, former sub-inspector of Fatullah Model police station.
They were questioned by the seven-member probe committee, headed by Additional Secretary of the Public Administration Ministry Shahjahan Ali, at the district circuit house around 3:15pm.
On Sunday, the committee interrogated Nurul and Monoj at the Secretariat.
On April 27, seven people, including Narayanganj City Corporation councillor Nazrul Islam, were abducted. The abductors impersonated RAB officials.
Nazrul’s family alleged Nur paid RAB Tk6 crore to kidnap the seven. When they went to Fatullah Model police station to file a case in this connection, police refused to take the case and did not take any instant action.
Akter Hossain and Saiful Islam are thought to have been quizzed by the probe committee because of police inaction.
Fazlul Haque was first tasked with investigating the case but was later replaced by Abdul Awal. When incumbent police super Khandakar Mahid Uddin took his post, Nazrul’s family alleged Awal was acting as Nur’s accomplice and a probe conducted by him would not be credible.
In response to this allegation, the investigation officer was changed once again and Mamunur Rashid Mondol, officer-in-charge of Narsingdi district DB police, was given the task.
Sources said Jahirul was in charge of patrol police when the incident occurred and many think he did not disclose any information despite having knowledge of RAB’s complicity in it.
Abdul Matin’s intimacy with Nur has also been alleged. Many said they were harassed by him following his suspension and that Nur directed him to do this.