On Sunday, Raihan Kabir, joint convener of the Upazila Jubo Dal, filed a case against the UNO in court. Prior to this, on Thursday, he sought permission from the district administration to file the case. The court has taken the case into consideration and directed the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer, Mizanur Rahman.
The victim, Durjoy Miya, is a day laborer from Bishnupur village in Atpara Upazila and the son of Shahid Miya. The plaintiff, Raihan Kabir, is the joint convener of the Upazila Jubo Dal and son of the late Foyez Uddin from Mobarakpur village.
According to local sources, the UNO’s office, and the case’s FIR, the incident occurred on March 24 during the distribution of VGF rice at Baniajan Union Parishad on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. A total of 2,037 beneficiaries were receiving 10 kg of rice each. Chaos erupted when beneficiaries failed to maintain order, and reports of rice pilfering prompted UNO Ruel Sangma to visit the site. It is alleged that he took a baton from the police and assaulted Durjoy.
Raihan Kabir stated, “I was present during the incident. The UNO arrived at the parishad around noon, took a baton from the police, and beat Durjoy.”
Durjoy Miya recounted, “Around 12:30 PM, I went with my mother to collect VGF rice. Due to the crowd’s pushing, a bamboo barrier broke, and I fell forward. That’s when the UNO assaulted me and detained me until 4 PM.”
Denying the allegations, UNO Ruel Sangma said, “I didn’t assault anyone. This is a conspiracy by certain groups against me. During Eid, some unruly individuals were looting VGF supplies. We detained them, and they behaved arrogantly with me. I was only trying to control the law and order situation. The police and other law enforcement agencies present did not take any action. However, I did not assault anyone.”
Contacting District Administrator Banani Biswas was not possible. However, Mymensingh Divisional Commissioner Md. Mokhtar Ahmed stated on Tuesday afternoon that a file regarding the incident was received in his office on Sunday, and an investigation is underway.
