48-hour ultimatum for withdrawal of case against 6 AL leaders in Kushtia

Leaders and activists of Awami League and its allies on Thursday formed a human chain at the police station intersection of Kushtia city demanding the withdrawal of the lawsuit filed against 6 Awami League leaders and others over snatching tender applications during their submission to the Kushtia municipality.

Terming the case a conspiracy, the protesters gave an ultimatum to withdraw it within the next 48 hours.

"We urge the authorities concerned to look into CCTV footage and find the real culprits behind the occurrence. Awami Jubo League, Secha Sebok League and Chhatra League men were accused in the case with ill-intention," Kushtia Secha Sebok League President Akhtaruzzaman Labu said.

"Some of our men who were not present during the incident were also made accused just for the defamation of the Awami League," he stated and added that a vested quarter is trying to harm the development activities of Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif in the parliamentary constituency and implement the agenda of the BNP-Jamaat.

"The municipality staged a theft incident last Saturday night and said their files and hard discs were stolen. All have been plotted to hide CCTV footage and real information about the real offenders," said Kushtia District Awami League Information and Research Secretary Rashedul Islam Biplob.

"Municipality Executive Engineer Rabiul Islam, who recently came out of jail, can unearth information about the people behind the occurrence," he added.

Kushtia municipal authorities on 25 January floated a tender for the lease of 10 temporary markets in Kushtia city and suburbs for a year. During the submission of the applications on 22 February, some people including the municipal councillors, Awami League, Secha Sebok League, and Chhatra League leaders allegedly snatched tender applications and tore them in front of the police. An applicant, named Ibrahim Hossain Miraj, filed a case over the incident with Kushtia Model Police Station. Meanwhile, the video footage of the public tender snatching incident went viral on social media.