Rangpur Kotwali police on Friday night registered a case against 22 leaders and activists of the pro-government National Citizen Party (NCP) for the arson attack on the house of Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader on May 29 that left four people injured.
The accused include NCP leader Nahid Hasan Khandaker and Rangpur metropolitan unit coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Imtiaz Ahmed Imti. In addition, 50-60 other unidentified people have been mentioned.
Plaintiff Jatiya Chhatra Samaj Member Secretary Arif Ali alleged that Officer-in-Charge Ataur Rahman first refused to register the case when he went to the police station around 9:30pm along with JaPa leaders Mokammel Hossain Chowdhury, among others.
โThe OC kept us waiting for over an hour and later said that he could not register the case. The OC also asked me to file the case in the court,โ Arif told reporters around 11pm.
โIf a case is not taken for such a big incident, where is the rule of law?โ
Issuing a 24-hour ultimatum, he threatened strict action if the case was not recorded within this time.
After exchanging views with journalists, when he went to the police station again, OC Ataur Rahman accepted the written complaint and said that they would look into the matter.
When contacted before midnight, the OC said: “We have received the complaint and will investigate it.”
GM Quader arrived in Rangpur on a personal visit on Thursday. He stayed at his house, โThe Sky Viewโ, in Senpara area in the city. He also exchanged views with journalists in the afternoon. The attack took place at night. The attackers smashed the windows of the house and set a motorcycle on fire.
Talking to BBC Bangla about the incident on Friday, GM Quader alleged that an โattempt was made to killโ him through the attack. He also said the attackers had weapons like pistols, rifles and cleavers.
What the case says
The plaintiff said that at around 9pm on May 29, terrorists attacked the building with rifles, cocktails and other local weapons.
They threw bricks and stones at the room where GM Quader was staying and broke the window glass. The attack was planned to kill him.
At that time, gunpowder was sprinkled on a motorcycle in front of the building. The attackers also fired rifles.
OC Ataur Rahman told Prothom Alo that a procession of the NCP leaders and activists was coming to demand GM Quader’s arrest. Before the protest procession reached Senpara, they were chased by the JaPa activists.
Later, when the JaPa activists retreated, stones were thrown at the house from the road. However, it could not be confirmed who set the motorcycle on fire, the OC said.
After the attack, former Rangpur City Corporation Mayor Mostafizur Rahman, JaPa Metropolitan Committee General Secretary SM Yasir and party leaders and activists took position in front of GM Quader’s house.
Around 9:15pm, a group of army and police members was seen stationed there. Around 11:30pm, GM Quader was seen talking to leaders and activists inside the house.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Majid Ali said that they were trying to deter both sides.
Sarjis Alam instigated the attack
On May 28, JaPa leaders and activists protested in Rangpur demanding the reinstatement of party Co-chairman Mostafizur Rahman as the mayor of Rangpur City Corporation.
On that day, Mostafizur called the interim government โunconstitutionalโ in front of the Nagar Bhaban. At the same time, a seven-day ultimatum was given to implement the demands.
Local sources said that the Kingโs party, NCP, and the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (SAD) held a counter-protest the same night.
They called Mostafizur and Jatiya Party leaders the collaborators of the Awami League and demanded their arrest.
On May 29, NCP Chief Organiser (northern region) Md Sarjis Alam, in a Facebook post, asked how GM Quader was still outside jail.
“Isn’t it possible to get things done without pushing the government? Or will students and the public have to take to the field anew for every task?”
In the evening, the SAD leaders announced a program to protest against GM Quader’s visit to Rangpur. According to eyewitnesses, the leaders and activists first gathered in front of the Rangpur Press Club. They later took up position at the Grand Hotel intersection around 8pm. From there, they marched towards Senpara and launched the attack.
Jatiya Party’s Central Organizing Secretary and district committee Joint Convener Milon Chowdhury was at the house during the attack.
He said: “The attackers marched with a megaphone and came to the intersection in front of the chairman’s house with knives and sticks. We heard the sound of Molotov cocktails. Then they created a mob-terror and came to the chairman’s house, abused, attacked and vandalized it before leaving the scene. Later, they went to the public library grounds and prepared to attack again.”
After the attack, Sarjis called for resistance against the JaPa, calling it an ally of the Awami League and an opportunistic hypocrite. He said that the JaPa had taken all kinds of privileges and given the Awami League legitimacy.
Speaking at a rally in Lalmonirhat at around 10pm, Sarjis Alam said: “One of the biggest hypocrites of the Jatiya Party is GM Quader. He used to go to India 15 to 20 days before the elections, negotiate for power, and negotiate for money. When he came to Bangladesh, he would become silent like a cat, elections would be held, the Jatiya Party would be the opposition party in the dummy elections, and they would support the Awami League as the government party.”
He again questioned how GM Quader could still roam around in public.
Protest programs
At around 11am on Friday, JaPa leaders and activists gathered at The Sky View. Many expressed their anger over the attack.
SM Yasir, general secretary of the Rangpur Metropolitan Jatiya Party, said: “The Jatiya Party chairman is scheduled to leave for Dhaka tomorrow [Saturday]. We have asked him to leave as soon as possible. We will not take any action until the chairman leaves.”
Meanwhile, the SAD leaders postponed their scheduled protest at the Rangpur Town Hall premises at 3pm on Friday. However, at around 12:30pm, Rajimuzzaman Hridoy, secretary of the Metropolitan Committee’s office and publicity cell, said that the protest program had been postponed due to inclement weather.
SAD leader Imtiaz said that all anti-fascist forces would be united to demand a ban on the Jatiya Party and to bring its leaders under the law.
What did GM Quader say?
A few hours before the attack on May 29, GM Quader was speaking to journalists at his home.
He said that the country was going through a period of great disaster. He said: โThere is a great danger ahead. The country is not doing well. Everything is becoming stagnantโฆcollapsing.โ
GM Quader said: โThe chief adviser [Muhammad Yunus] and the young people whom he introduced as his employers have clearly divided the country. This division is getting stronger day by day, and a conflicting environment has been created with one person against the other. I fear that a major conflict may develop in the future.โ
He likened the current situation in the country to the racist behaviour of whites and blacks in South Africa.
โThey have identified some people as being against fascism according to their criteria. And the rest are labeled as fascists or allies of fascists. The implementation of laws like South Africa’s Black and White is visible.โ
Alleging that a large part of the country is being deprived of political rights, GM Quader said: โThey are introducing various laws to deprive political rights. People are being oppressed by them in various ways. They are trying to completely exclude them from their political rights.โ
GM Quader said: โWe were fully involved in all kinds of movements. We fully supported the students in this movement. We did not want to participate in the controversial elections. Even then, we were sometimes forcedโฆ But we did not give them legitimacy.โ
Mentioning that their party activities were being obstructed, GM Quader said: โWe are not allowed to hold processions. We are obstructed in various places. We cannot rent a venue when we want to hold a council. People are being unnecessarily arrested and detained, and they are being kept in jail for months without trial.โ
He expressed fear that the country would face further crisis if the national elections were not held in December.
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