Police find no truth in July uprising case in Rajshahi, recommend action against complainant

Police have found no truth in the allegations of an attack on a house, vandalism, looting and a bomb explosion in a case filed in Rajshahi after the July uprising. The report noted that no resident around the complainant’s house knows of any such explosion or looting either.

Terming the case false and motivated, the police investigating officer recently submitted a final report to the court recommending the discharge of all the accused. At the same time, legal action has been recommended against the complainant for filing a false case. Accordingly, the court has issued a summons for the complainant to appear, it has been learnt.

Complainant Shahjahan Ali is a resident of Sultanabad Mohalla under Boalia Thana in Rajshahi city and a Sramik Dal leader. He filed the case at Boalia Model Thana on 19 August 2024. It named 26 people from the banned Awami League and its allied organisations and made more than a hundred unnamed people accused.

The accused included Metropolitan Swechchhasebak League president and former councillor of Ward 13 of Rajshahi City Corporation Abdul Momin, city Jubo League general secretary Taurid Al Masud Roni, former city Jubo League president Ramzan Ali, and city Sramik League general secretary Akhtar Hossain, among others.

The case statement alleged that, out of vengeance for his active participation in the July movement, the accused attacked Shahjahan’s house. Vandalism, looting and a bomb explosion were carried out at the house at that time. The statement said the damage was about Tk 10 lakh.

As it was a case centred on the July movement, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP), considering its importance, assigned the investigation to the Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB). After passing through several investigating officers, DB Sub-Inspector (SI) Shah Ali Mia investigated the case last. The investigation was supervised by four senior police officers including former RMP additional commissioner Nazmul Hossain, of DIG rank. They visited the spot several times.

The final report submitted after the investigation said no neighbour questioned had said that an attack, vandalism, looting or a bomb explosion took place at the complainant’s house on the day and at the time of the incident. When the complainant was asked to produce an eyewitness to the incident, he could not do so either. The report recommended legal action against the complainant under Section 211 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The case’s last investigating officer SI Shah Ali Mia said a final report has been submitted to the court recommending the discharge of all the accused. He also said action against the complainant, in accordance with the rules, has been recommended for filing a false case.

The complainant Shahjahan Ali was called several times on his mobile phone for comment on the matter, but he did not respond.