Own Correspondent: Police have arrested an accused named Abu Noman in the case of attack on the car of Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Chief Executive of Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (BELA) while visiting illegal hill cutting in Chittagong City Corporation No. 9 North Pahartali. This was confirmed by the investigation officer of the case, Akbar Shah police station SI Zaheed Ullah Zaman.
He was arrested by the Akbarshah police station of the city on Saturday (January 28). However, police have not yet arrested the mastermind of the incident, Awami League leader, Chittagong City Corporation councilor Zahurul Alam alias Jasim. However, the investigation officer of the case claimed that the operation is being conducted to arrest others.
Before this, on January 26, a group of youths attacked Rizwana and the entire team when they went to inspect various irregularities including illegal cutting of hills and filling of canals in the betel plantation area of No. 9 North Pahartali of Akbarshah police station area of Chittagong city. At that time, stones were also thrown at Syeda Rizwana Hasan’s car. At this time, the attackers showed fear and intimidation with kirich, scissors, knives and other indigenous weapons. They follow local councils. Councilor Jasim Uddin was also present at this time. Later Syeda Rizwana Hasan himself filed the case as plaintiff. The defendants in the case are – Councilor Zahurul Alam alias Jasim, Md. Hnaday, Abu Noman Prakash Kala Noman, Saifuddin Bhuiyan, Anis Chowdhury Rajan, Shakeel and Saeed.
The complaint alleged that the hired car of Councilor Jasim and his companion Rizwana Hassan stopped at the main gate of Lake City Residence of the City Corporation. At that time, they forcibly took the car to the office of the Lake City resident with domestic weapons. At one point the car started threatening not to be released. Later, a police team from the police station rescued the driver along with the vehicle from in front of the main gate of Lake City. Bricks were pelted while driving.
However, denying the allegations, Councilor Zahurul Alam said, ‘I was not at the scene at the time of the incident. None of my followers stopped them. All these allegations are false. How could they stay there for two-and-a-half hours if we had stopped them?’
