Former local BNP lawmaker Zahir Uddin Swapan for Barisal-1 (Gournadi-Agoiljhara), Gournadi upazila BNP vice president and Sharikal union Parishad chairman Manzur Hossain Milon and more than hundred BNP activists sued for alleged 2001 pre-election violence in Gournadi of Barisal.Delwar Hossain of Kurirchar village and president upazila Krishak League, peasant front of ruling Awami League, as complainant lodged the case with Gournadi police station Sunday night. Abul Kalam, Gournadi police station in charge, said the case (no.23.) has been lodged under sections 120, 114,147,148,380,427, 447,448,506 of penal code for attacking on AL activists, supporters, looting, damaging, torching their properties, creating terrorism by blasting explosives.The complainant alleged that during campaigning of eighth national assembly election, the accused directed by lawmaker Swapan and led by UP chairman Milon attacked his and his father’s houses at Kurirchar on September 19, 2001.The attacker BNP leaders and activists giving death threats looted and damaged properties worth Tk 2 lakhs including Tk 50 thousand in cash on that day, the KL leader alleged in the case. BNP leaders and activists again attacked the same houses on next day September 20, 2001 and looted properties worth Tk. 1.6 lakhs including Tk 30 thousand in cash and the complainant saved his life by taking shelter in the neighbouring house of Sattar Peyada, it was narrated in the case.The delay in lodging case was caused due to non-cooperation of police and political situation of the country in post-election period, the complainant explained.Zahir Uddin Swapan said the case was false, politically motivated and lodged as ruling party failed to face his popularity politically to prevent the sure defeat of the ruling alliance in next general election.A huge number of AL activists and minority family members leaving their houses forced to take shelter in other areas, left the country, send female members of the families to safe places like AL-dominated Ramshil areas of Kotalipara under Gopalganj district. Barisal district police office sources said a letter from Home Ministry reached here July 16, 2013 directing the officer in charges of different police station to register cases about 2001-election violence.After that two cases were lodged in Banaripara police station on July 17 and against former home minister Air Vice Marshal (rtd.) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury in Patuakhali on July 18. It may be mentioned that AL-led government formed a three-member Judicial Investigation Commission headed by former district and sessions judge Md Shahabuddin Chuppu and Joint Commissioner of DMP Mir Shahidul Islam and Deputy Secretary of the Home Ministry Monwar Hossain Akhand as members on December 27, 2010 following a writ petition filed by Advocate Manzil Morshed.The commission received 5571 allegations from across the country against the post-poll violators and found 3,625 incidents of post-poll violence to be true.This Judicial Commission submitted a 1251-page report titled “Ruddha Kaler Ghatana Panji” on December 1, 2011 to the Home Ministry after compiling the facts and evidence of 3,625 violence including 355 political killings and 3270 incidents of rape, gang rape, arson, looting and others occurred between 01 October 2001 and December 31, 2002 across the country during the rule of the BNP-led 4-party alliance government.Then government asked police to register the allegations as criminal cases, which was not followed properly. -Our Correspondent
