Kushtia Correspondent

Bangla daily Amar Desh Editor Mahmudur Rahman has filed a case against 67 people, including deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, over attempting to murder him on the Kushtia court premises in 2018.

He lodged the case on Thursday with Kushtia Model Police Station naming Hasina as the prime accused.

Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, former Kushtia-3 lawmaker Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque Inu, former inspector general of police Mohammad Javed Patwary, former superintendent of police Mehedi Hasan, and former officer-in-charge (OC) of the police station Nasir Uddin were sued among 47 others.

Besides, some 15-20 unnamed people were also made accused in the case.

On 22 July 2018, Mahmudur Rahman came under attack after he appeared before a Kushtia court in a defamation case.

Leaders and activists of the Awami League and its associated organisations allegedly assaulted him and vandalised the car he was travelling by. He later left for Dhaka in an ambulance from the court premises.

Regarding the fresh lawsuit, Kushtia Model Police Station OC Mahfuzur Haque Chowdhury said the matter would be investigated and legal action would be taken.

Earlier on the day, Mahmudur Rahman, on his way to Kushtia, held a discussion with Islamic University (IU) students on the campus.

Later, he went to the Kushtia Press Club and held another meeting with journalists there.

In his speech, the Amar Desh editor said he came to Kushtia to file a case and Sheikh Hasina would be the prime accused.

He also emphasised that he would demand the repatriation of Hasina based on the case.

“I was once brutally attacked in Kushtia. They tried to kill me in the then fascist-controlled court premises. But I did not die. They forced me out of the country…[but] I have returned home. But where are they now? They will be brought back and justice will be served.”

Mahmudur said, “For 16 years, Bangladesh had been ruled by a fascist and anti-Islamic government that was directly controlled by Delhi. We have overthrown the authoritarian regime that had oppressed us.”

He mentioned the people's movement had two goals – first, to overthrow the fascist government, and second, to eradicate Indian imperialism.

“We have achieved our first goal, but we have yet to achieve the second one. Now we have the opportunity to permanently unroot Indian dominance, the same dominance against which Abrar was martyred for. We must continue this fight.”

He said that he gave a seven-day ultimatum to ban the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League, as a terrorist organisation. That deadline ends on Sunday.

“To free ourselves from the Awami League, we first need to free ourselves from terrorists…Chhatra League is the only terrorist organisation in Bangladesh. But the interim government has yet to show its strength. They have been very slow. So far, the government has taken no meaningful steps against the Awami League or the Chhatra League.”

Mahmudur said, “If the Chhatra League is not banned by then [Sunday], you all will launch a movement here from Monday in support of my demand.”

Syed Abdal Ahmed, former president of the National Press Club and executive editor of Amar Desh, M Abdullah, former president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and city editor of Amar Desh, Prof Major Abdul Wahab Minar and Abdur Razzak, president of the Kushtia Journalists Union, also spoke at the event.