A case has been filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA) against Kordata Surakhkha Parishad President Nurul Abshar for making defamatory statements against Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.
On Tuesday night, CCC Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury's personal assistant Md Mostafa Kamal Chowdhury Dulal filed the case as the plaintiff, said Chandgaon police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Mainur Rahman.
He said that the case was filed in accordance with Sections 25, 29, and 31 of the Digital Security Act. Legal action will be taken following the investigation.
The accused Nurul Abshar Chowdhury, 60, is a resident of Kadmatoli area of Sadarghat police station in the city.
According to the complaint, on the evening of September 18, a demonstration was held under the name of an organization called Chittagong Kordata Surakhkha Parishad in the West Madarbari area of Chittagong city.
In the meeting, President of the Kordata Surakhkha Parishad Nurul Abshar said to CCC Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury: "We live in the city paying a total of 11 sorts of tax, we do not live in your house. If you speak nonsense, we will drive you out of the city."
Meanwhile, Hasan Maruf Rumi, the Kordata Surakhkha Parishad's spokesperson, said: “Our organization's president, Nurul Abshar Chowdhury, is active in Awami League politics locally. He was a follower of former mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury. Mohiuddin Chowdhury liked to deliver humorous speeches in the local language of Chittagong, and he did so as well. He made no statement condemning the mayor. It was few words in Chittagong’s local language, which are represented differently. We strongly oppose filing of the case.”
Earlier, during the tenure of former mayor AJM Nashir Uddin, an initiative was undertaken to collect house tax at a higher rate by re-evaluating the five-year tax in fiscal year 2016-17.
Former mayor (now deceased) ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury founded the Chittagong Kordata Surakhkha Parishad in 2017 to oppose this procedure. Due to the protests, the Ministry of Local Government halted tax collection based on revaluation on December 10, 2017.
After Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury took charge, CCC filed two rounds of letters requesting that the Ministry of Local Government withdraw the suspension order on the collection of house tax based on re-evaluation. On these grounds, the ministry lifted the suspension order on January 18 of this year. However, as said by Mayor Rezaul Karim Chowdhury: "The gross rate of the household tax would not be increased, just the range of the tax will be expanded."
However, the recent collection of holding tax on the basis of revaluation has sparked a reaction among city dwellers. As a consequence, the Chittagong Kordata Surakhkha Parishad was named in the movement with the same demand after five years.