Locals say the attack incident never happened.

A drug dealer has filed a case after 5 and a half years over the attack on the campaign of a BNP candidate nominated in the Chittagong-8 constituency by-election. A journalist has also been named as an accused in the case along with 63 Awami League leaders and activists. Although the drug dealer identified himself as a Boalkhali Jubo Dal activist, local BNP and upazila BNP leaders have denied it.

However, local residents said that no incident took place during the time mentioned in the case.

Case was filed on September 14 by a person named Md. Touhidul Islam. But he himself is an accused in a drug case and was also in jail. Several videos of his arrest with drugs have gone viral on social media.

The case states that on January 9, 2020, at approximately 11:00 am, during a campaign for the BNP candidate nominated in the Chittagong-8 constituency by-election in the Mansur Aulia Mazar Gate area, the accused exploded several cocktails and fired indiscriminately. They attacked and beat them with iron rods, hockey sticks, SS pipes, and batons. During this, they set fire to two motorcycles. When the injured went to the Upazila Hospital for treatment, the Awami terrorists stopped them there and beat them up.

However, local people said that no such attack took place in Boalkhali on January 9, 2020. But news of the attack during the BNP campaign on January 3 was published in various newspapers.

Meanwhile, 63 people, including local journalist Syed Muhammad Nazrul Islam, have been accused in the attack on the date mentioned in the complaint. In addition, 100 to 150 other unknown accused have been made accused in this case.

When asked about Touhidul Islam, locals said that he is a known drug dealer in the area. The locals arrested him for selling drugs and handed him over to the police station last year. There is also a case against him under the Narcotics Control Act. He has also served time in the case. The video of his arrest has gone viral on social media Facebook. Former Charandwip Union BNP president Rahmat Ali Chowdhury posted on his personal Facebook that there is no worker of BNP, Jubo Dal or Chhatra Dal named Touhidul Islam.

Chittagong South District Jubo Dal General Secretary Md. Azgar said, my home is Boalkhali. I do not know anyone named Touhidul Islam who is the plaintiff in the case. Moreover, our organization does not have anyone by that name. I have been in charge of the district for 7 and a half years, before that I was in charge of the police station, Touhidul Islam is not from Jubo Dal. I do not know anything about the case. I saw it on Facebook, but the plaintiff in this case is not from Jubo Dal.

Boalkhali Upazila Jubo Dal convener Md. Iqbal said that a person has filed a case using the name of Jubo Dal. He is not from our Jubo Dal. We will hold a press conference on this issue, he is using the name of Jubo Dal despite not being from our Jubo Dal.

Former mayor of Boalkhali Municipality, Haji Abu Kalam Abu, who was at the scene of the attack on January 3, 2020, said that the attack took place during the election campaign in the Chittagong-8 constituency by-election in Boalkhali, including BAP’s nominated candidate Abu Sufian, Upazila BNP President Mostaq Ahmed Khan and Nabab Ali Saudagar Bari area. That was a long time ago. Who filed the case now? It is not clear now, who filed the case from where. I am not involved in any of these. I am neither in contact with any party leaders and activists, nor am I involved in any party activities. Moreover, I do not know the person who filed the case, I do not know whether the journalist against whom the case was filed was present at the scene or not.

The accused in the case, Syed Muhammad Nazrul Islam, the organizing secretary of Boalkhali Press Club, the Chittagong correspondent of the English newspaper Daily Morning Glory and the Boalkhali correspondent of the Daily Chittagong Pratidin, said that a case has been filed in connection with the attack during the 2020 BAP campaign. I am shocked to see my name in the case after a long 5 and a half years. A case has been filed against me, and the attack on January 9 has been mentioned there. But no attack took place that day. I am wondering how my name got in that case. I heard about the attack during the campaign in Boalkhali during the by-election of the Chittagong-8 constituency on January 3 of that year. But I did not go there either. There was a lot of news in the newspapers and magazines about the incident on January 3.

When asked about this, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Boalkhali Police Station Lutfar Rahman said that a person filed a case on September 14 regarding the attack, cocktail explosion, and shooting at the campaign of the BNP nominated candidate in the Chittagong-8 constituency by-election in 2020. The name of a journalist is also there. We are investigating this matter. This case has been filed after 5 years. Based on the investigation, the correct information of this incident will be presented to the court.

The OC also said that there was no previous complaint against Syed Muhammad Nazrul Islam, who is on the list of accused in the case, at the police station.

When the plaintiff Md. Touhidul Islam was called to find out about the case, he identified himself as a journalist and said that he was not Touhidul Islam. At that time, he said, I am not Touhidul Islam, I am giving the mobile to Touhid Bhai. Immediately after that, he disconnected the connection. He did not answer the call even after calling him several times.