Filing of cases and counter cases regarding land disputes has become a common phenomenon in Gazipur that has been causing harassment to the local people.
The allegation was brought at a meeting organised by Sripur Upazila Agriculture Training Center on September 30. Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan, upazila assistant commissioner (land) presided over the meeting.
The speakers also alleged that the local people were harassed because of these false cases, adding that creating probe report without proper investigation was yet another concern.
Sheikh Humayun Kabir Babul, a member of an upazila committee, said the number of counter cases had been gradually increasing and those cases were mainly filed centring land disputes. As a result, the true justice seekers were being harassed, he added.
If any victim file a case with a local police station regarding any land dispute, the offenders file a counter case with false information against the victim in order to harass him, he said, adding that usually, a third party was made complainant for the counter cases.
Speakers asserted that the offenders filed counter cases in order to force the actual victims to withdraw the cases.
Mentioning a recent incident, Humayun Kabir said a local inhabitant Rubel, son of deceased Hashem Master, filed a case with Sripur police station on September 27. After one hour of filing the case, another local inhabitant Sadikul Samad filed a counter case against Rubel and eight other people with the same police station, he added.
Seeking anonymity, an inhabitant of Sripur Thana road said a section of dishonest officers in the police station filed false cases by making the complainant as defendant on the same incident.
Emdadul Haque, a lawyer of Gazipur district Judge Court, said filing of counter cases had eventually increased corruptions in the area. As a result, innocent people were harassed, he added.
Chairman of Gazipur Union Parishad Akram Hossain mentioned an incident where a tenth grade student was made defendant of a false case. Later, the student was arrested and produced before the court, he said.
In this regard, Officer-in-Charge of Sripur police station Amir Hossain said: “Sometimes court gives order to file a case.
“Dhaka Medical Collage provide medical certificate for counter cases, while Sripur Upazila Helath Complex provide medical certificate for original case if any clashes took place over any incident,” he claimed.
