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HANNAN'S CASE WITHDRAWAL

State minister Goutam recommended petition

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
A state minister and two leaders of Gopalganj BNP had recommended in Mufti Hannan's application for withdrawal of case submitted to the then home minister and described the four cases filed against the militant kingpin as politically motivated.
State Minister for Water Resources Ministry Goutam Chakraborty, the then president of Gopalganj district BNP Sheikh Saifur Rahman Nantu, and senior vice-president Moniruzzaman
Pinu in the application had advised for Hannan's exemption from the charges brought in those cases.
When contacted last night, Goutam Chakraborty did not deny making recommendation in favour of Hannan.
Operations commander of Harkat-ul Jihad (HuJi), Hannan on November 17, 2002, submitted the application to the home minister and pleaded for the cases against him to be withdrawn in line with 'the
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ruling four-party alliance's decision to withdraw all false and politically motivated cases filed during the last Awami League rule'.
Of the four cases, one was filed for sedition while two were filed under Explosive Substances Act and the other one under Arms Act.
"The issue is much-debated," the state minister wrote in his recommendation on November 20, 2002. "[Cases] may have been filed on political grounds. So, they can be withdrawn on scrutiny," he added.
Saifur Rahman Nantu in his recommendation on November 18, 2002, said, "The issue is politically motivated, [cases are] conspiratorial and harassing. I strongly suggest for withdrawal of the cases."
Moniruzzaman Pinu recommended the same on the same date.
The application reads:
Dear Sir,
With due respect, I would like to state that the then Awami League government had fitted me up as part of their plot to gain unfair political advantage, increase the party's popularity in the face of looming electoral defeat, harass the political opponents, and create pretext to frame new laws for Sheikh Hasina's security. It was the Awami League men who had stagemanaged the drama of recovering 76-kg bomb near the stage of the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Kotalipara and falsely implicated me along with my family, and leaders and activists of Islami Oikya Jote in the incident.
Following the Kotalipara incident, the Awami League government had filed back to back four cases [mentioned above] against me, my relatives, and in general followers of Islam. Besides, they [Awami League] tortured my family and relatives and looted my property, business establishments, and madrasa. They had detained a large number of people including my brothers and sisters and subjected them to unwarranted brutalities in the cases filed to
make political gains.
Since the alliance government has decided in principle to withdraw the false and politically motivated cases filed during Awami League regime, I urge you with humble submission to take necessary steps to withdraw the cases filed in Gopalganj for political harassment.
Goutam Chakraborty told The Daily Star last night that he cannot exactly remember whether he had recommended for the withdrawal of cases against Mufti Hannan.
"I cannot remember now. It might have happened when I was the district minister for Gopalganj," he observed.
He said he usually recommends the applications on the recommendation of district unit president and general secretary of BNP and local lawmakers.
Chakraborty said, "It's for sure that Mufti Hannan did not come to me in person for the recommendation. Probably, a local BNP leader had come for him and on seeing their
[district BNP leaders'] recommendations I had given my opinion on the application as Hannan was not that known at that time."
Despite repeated attempts, The Daily Star could reach Sheikh Saifur Rahman and Moniruzzaman Pinu for their comments.