Dimla (Nilphamari) Correspondent 

 Leaders and activists of the Zia Parishad and BNP-affiliated organizations held a human chain demanding the withdrawal of false cases and unconditional release of Engineer Shaharin Islam Chowdhury Tuhin — former MP of Nilphamari-1 (Domar-Dimla) constituency, central executive committee member of BNP, and former president of Nilphamari district BNP, as well as nephew of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

On Saturday,  the hour-long human chain was organized by the Dimla Upazila branch of Zia Parishad at the Shaheed Minar premises in the Upazila Sadar. The event was presided over by Professor Abdul Kader, convener of Zia Parishad’s Dimla Upazila branch. Speakers at the human chain included Abu Sadeq Chowdhury Lulu, convener of Zia Parishad’s Nilphamari district branch; Professor Monowar Hossain, president of Dimla Upazila BNP; General Secretary Badiuzzaman Rana; organizational leader Golam Rabbani Prodhan; Joint Convener of the Upazila Zia Parishad Professor Jahangir Alam; and Professor Selim Jahangir, among others. At the event, they strongly demanded the immediate withdrawal of the false cases against Tuhin and his unconditional release.

It is mentioned that in 2007, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed two separate cases against Tuhin at Gulshan Police Station on charges of tax evasion and illegal accumulation of wealth. In 2008, in the tax evasion case, the court sentenced him to three years and five years under two separate sections, totaling eight years of rigorous imprisonment. As the sentences would run concurrently, the judge stated in the verdict that he would serve a maximum of five years. Additionally, in the illegal wealth case, he was sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in 2008.

After 17 years since the verdict, on April 29, Tuhin surrendered before two separate special judge courts in Dhaka through his lawyers and applied for bail. However, the court rejected his bail plea and ordered him to be sent to jail.