Sherpur: Police submitted charge sheets for the killing of three college students in last year’s July uprising here, accusing 505 people, mostly leaders of the Awami League and its front organizations, official sources said today. Sherpur police, after 11 months of investigation into three separate cases, recently submitted the charge sheets to the court, relieving 33 accused from the cases, Court Inspector Md Ziaur Rahman told BSS.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, police will launch a special drive against the charge-sheeted accused after the issuance of warrants of arrest by the court. The accused have mostly been absconding since the fall of the previous Awami League (AL) government on August 5 last year. Among the prominent accused are four former whips of the Jatiya Sangsad, the president and general secretary of district AL, a former Zila Parishad Chairman, six upazila chairmen, four municipal mayors, and an executive magistrate.
As per the case records, college student Sabuj Miah, 18, was shot dead by a section of AL supporters at the Kharampur area in the town on August 4. Two other students, Mahbub Alam and Shardul Ashish Saurav, were killed under the wheels of a car belonging to an executive magistrate at that time. Many people, mostly agitators, were also injured during the incident.
Later, on August 12, Saddam Hossain, the elder brother of Sabuj Miah, filed a murder case against 300-400 people, including the general secretary of district AL and former lawmaker Chhanuar Hossain Chhanu and former chairman of Sherpur Zila Parishad Humayun Kabir Ruman. On August 21, a supplementary FIR was submitted, accusing 193 more individuals, including the president of district AL and former whip Atiqur Rahman Atiq. After 11 months of investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against 205 persons on July 7.
Key accused in the case include former lawmaker ADM Shahidul Islam, lawmaker (reserved seat for women) Fatematuzzohra Shyamoli, former mayors Golam Md Kibria Liton, Md Abu Bakar Bakkar, Hafizur Rahman Liton, and Md Ali Lal, as well as former upazila chairmen Rafiqul Islam, Abdullah Warez Naim, Mahbub Alam Sohag, Juwel Akond, Haji Md Mosharaf Hossain, and Moksedur Rahman Lebu.
Mosammat Mahfuza Khatun, the mother of Mahbub Alam, filed a murder case on August 12 with Sadar Thana, accusing 300-400 people. On August 19, she added another 81 individuals to the case. Following a detailed investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against 150 people, including executive magistrate Tariqul Islam and his driver Harun Miah.
In another development, Sohrab Hossain, the father of Shardul Ashish Saurav, filed a case on August 27, accusing 300-400 people and mentioning the names of 87 individuals. Police later submitted the charge sheet for this case, accusing 150 people, including the executive magistrate.
When contacted, Superintendent of Police (SP) Md Aminul Islam stated that they have already submitted charge sheets for the three cases and will launch a special drive to apprehend the absconding accused after the issuance of warrants of arrest by the court concerned.