Victims of JMB Torture: MP's men finally return all cheques

Monday, April 20, 2009

Local Awami League (AL) lawmaker's men in Bagmara have returned all the cheques they took away from the victims of atrocities committed by Bangla Bhai-led gangs.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Education and Development) Satyendra Kumar Sarker told reporters yesterday that the victims had all the cheques with them.

Following government directives, the Rajshahi administration yesterday launched an investigation into the allegations against Enamul's men who reportedly took away cheques worth Tk 19 lakh granted by the prime minister for the victims.

Sarker, also the investigation officer, quizzed 20 people, including 18 victims whom the local lawmaker's men took to the Bagmara UNO's office.

He told journalists that no 'strong evidence' had been found to prove the allegations.

"We shall fax the investigation report to the authorities concerned in Dhaka by tonight," Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan, divisional commissioner in Rajshahi, told The Daily Star in the evening.

Sources said, following the reports published in The Daily Star, the Prime Minister's Office directed Bhuiyan to report within 12 hours about the fate of the cheques granted by the premier for the victims in Bagmara.

When the victims following instructions of the MP's men gathered at Bhawaniganj, upazila AL Organising Secretary Mahabubur Rahman and Mougachhi UP AL General Secretary Abdur Razzak Mollah returned cheques, each worth Tk 1 lakh, to 16 victims at around 11:00am.

Victims Asir Uddin and Manik Pramanik got back their cheques on Saturday.

Three of the victims -- Ataur Rahman, Rafikul Islam and Amjad Hossain Dugu -- earlier refused to hand over their cheques to the local lawmaker's men.

The MP's men took all 18 victims to the local Sonali Bank branch to deposit the grant money with their accounts at the bank.

"We helped them in bank affairs as most of them don't know anything about it," said upazila Jubo League president Abdus Salam.

When contacted, victims Asir Uddin and Abdul Gafur said they had no other option but to tell the investigation officer what the MP's men had asked them to say.

The two said they told the investigation officer that the cheques had never been taken away from them.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=84768