A case has been filed alleging an attempt to kill the family of Nusrat Tabassum, a member of parliament for a reserved women’s seat and a leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), through arson and explosions at her family home in Daulatpur, Kushtia.
MP Nusrat Tabassum went to Daulatpur police station in person on Thursday night and filed the case herself as plaintiff. Eight leaders at various levels of the banned Chhatra League and of Jubo League and Swechchhasebak League, whose activities are banned, are named as accused, along with 25 to 30 unnamed people.
Kushtia district police spokesperson Faisal Mahmud, additional superintendent of police (crime and operations), confirmed the case. Police are carrying out raids to arrest the accused, he said, but he declined to disclose the identities of those named in the case in the interest of the investigation.
According to police sources, MP Nusrat Tabassum went to Daulatpur police station after 7pm on Thursday and submitted a written complaint. The case was recorded at around 8:30pm.
According to the case statement, Nusrat Tabassum was in Dhaka at the time because parliament was in session. Her father, Md Abdul Halim, 61, her mother, Mst Zohura Khatun, and other family members were at the family home in Bagoan village of Daulatpur upazila.
As described in the case statement, family members were woken by three loud bangs in quick succession at around 12:15am on Wednesday night. Going outside, they saw fires burning in the living quarters, the courtyard and several places around the house. Neighbours rushed over when they heard the family’s cries and tried to put out the fire.
Local people tried to bring the fire under control, but because Daulatpur has no fire service station, the Bheramara fire service was called. Firefighters from Bheramara arrived and brought the fire under control.
According to the account of the damage in the case statement, about a third of the household goods, furniture and equipment were burnt. Three goats in the shed also died in the fire. MP Nusrat Tabassum puts the total damage at about Tk 40 lakh.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report