70 AL men sued on charge of grabbing house
Seventy men of the ruling Awami League (AL) have been sued for their alleged involvement in looting and illegally occupying a house owned by a retired army man in Dashmina upazila under Patuakhali district.
Naznin Akhter, wife of retired army officer Md Ibrahim, filed the case (No 162/12) with the Speedy Trial Tribunal in Patuakhali on Sunday against the 70 people including Iqbal Mahmud Liton, organising secretary of Dashmina upazila unit of AL, the main accused.
After receiving the case, tribunal Judge Tapan Kumar Roy asked the officer in charge (OC) of Dashmina police station to treat the allegation as FIR (First Information Report) and inform the tribunal within three days, said advocate Abul Kalam Azad, lawyer of the plaintiff.
Md Ibrahim has been living in the house for 23 years but on August 25 morning a gang of about 100 men led by Iqbal Mahmud Liton went to the house and forced out all members of the family and locked the house, goes the case statement.
"Naznin Akhter filed a General Diary with Dashmina police station the same day but police did not take any step to protect the family. At midnight on the same day the gang demolished the one-story tin-shed house. Since then the family has been on the run," it adds.
In absence of the OC, Mozammel Hossain, a sub inspector of Dashmina police station, said, "The copy of the case has not reached the police station. We will take lawful step after receiving the instruction given by the court."
When contacted, Iqbal Mahmud Liton said, "I am not involved in this regard. I know documents of the retired army man are not valid and a case is pending with the court."
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