‘Land disputes might have triggered attack on UNO’

The purchase of a piece of disputed land by UNO Wahida Khanam's father might also have led to the attack on her and her father Omar Ali in Dinajpur's Ghoraghat upazila, according to sources.

The land purchase by Omar Ali might have irked some local politicians and the accused as they had been trying to grab it for many days, sources with the investigation told The Business Standard.

Recently, Omar Ali bought 165 decimal land from Faruq Siddiqui – a local resident – spending Tk20 lakh to set up a farm house. He was also trying to buy more lands there.

Local Jubo League leaders – Jahangir and Asadul – and others were trying for long to grab it. Their political interference made it tougher for others to buy the land, sources also said.

The land was popularly known as "Army land" which had been originally allotted to Faruq's ancestors during the British colonial period, sources added.

The land purchase issue has provided a new facet to the investigation in the case, said a probe body member seeking anonymity.

Transparency International Bangladesh – a civil society organisation – has demanded a judicial enquiry into the case.

Meanwhile, doctors of the National Neurosurgery Hospital on Sunday said Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Wahida cannot move her right side even after two days of the surgery.

"She feels better now but cannot move her right side. We are observing her closely," said Professor Dr Din Mohammad, director of the hospital.

Again, a Dinajpur court Sunday granted a seven-day remand for Asadul Islam, prime accused in the case filed over the attack on the UNO and her father.

Confirming the matter, Imam Zafar, Detective Branch's investigating officer of the case, told The Business Standard that police sought a 10-day remand for Asadul, emphasising the seriousness of the case. However, the court granted seven days.

Responding to a query, Imam said it was not a remand plea for a case on stealing. The remand was sought to scrutinise all aspects relating to the attack.

Earlier, injured Wahida's elder brother Sheikh Farid Uddin filed a case at around 11:30pm on Thursday against 4-5 unknown persons with Ghoraghat Police Station over the attack on the UNO.

TIB for judicial enquiry into the attack

Meanwhile, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has called for a judicial enquiry into the incident to identify the real culprits and ensuring exemplary punishment to them.

The organisation has strongly protested a propaganda by some quarter that the barbaric attack on the UNO was merely a "theft" or an "isolated incident," reads a press release.

The TIB has called on the government to take effective and visible steps to address the insecurity and the risk of mistrust created by such attacks on a top official of the local administration.

According to information from reliable sources, including the mass media, the attack may have been carried out for the inflexible stance of the Ghoraghat UNO against corruption and immoral activities related to illegal sand extraction and brick kiln, among others, reads the statement.

Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of the TIB, said, "The way in which such a shocking and disturbing incident is promoted as a 'theft' and an 'isolated incident' based on the initial 'confession' of a suspect is very disappointing and suspicious."

It is seen for some time that law enforcement agencies of the country have been arranging press conferences to inform their decision even before concluding the investigation, he added.

"It does not demonstrate competence. There are reasons to be afraid that the actual culprits behind this process will remain hidden. The investigating agency is assigned to investigate, not to announce the verdict of the case," said the TIB executive director.

Iftekharuzzaman also said the attack happened as there was no proper investigation and trial of the attacks on local administration officials at different times.

If it is not possible to overcome this situation, it will have a negative impact on honest, fearless and loyal officials in the long run, he added.