Case filed against former MP Ranjit Sarkar and 200 others, police as plaintiff
Police have filed a case as plaintiff over a flash meeting of the banned Awami League held at a resort rented on the pretext of a picnic and an educational tour. The case names former member of parliament Ranjit Sarkar and 200 people.
The meeting was earlier reported to have taken place at the “Sohel Square Eco Resort” in the Ratargul area of Gowainghat upazila in Sylhet. Police had locked the resort and detained four people linked to the meeting.
In the operation carried out late on Tuesday (10 November), four people were detained, including two resort staff and two Awami League activists. After the news broke, resort owner Sohel was reported to have gone into hiding.
According to police and local sources, the resort had been rented on 8 November by a person identifying himself as a lawyer, in the name of an educational tour. Around 175 people attended the day-long programme, and during the evening's music session Ranjit Sarkar arrived, hung a banner, delivered an anti-government speech and left.
Reports said tension spread after Ranjit Sarkar later published a video of the speech on his Facebook page. Following that, an angry crowd set fire to his residence in Sylhet, and BNP and its affiliated organisations held protest demonstrations in various parts of Sunamganj.
After the incident, police arrested Tara Mia, organising secretary of the Tahirpur upazila Awami League and a close associate of Ranjit Sarkar, and produced him before a court. Based on information he provided, police in Sunamganj and Sylhet were able to identify the actual venue of the meeting, reports said.
The new case also mentions Ranjit Sarkar's going into hiding. Police had earlier confirmed that filing a case in the matter was under process. With police filing the case against 200 people as plaintiff, that process has now moved forward.
An earlier report said police efforts were continuing to find out how Ranjit Sarkar entered the country and where he is currently staying.
