Ex-CEC Huda harassed: Volunteer unit member sent to jail

Army personnel have arrested Hanif in Dhaka’s Uttara

Md Hanif, general secretary of the BNP’s Swechchhasebak Dal’s Uttara West unit, has been sent to jail for allegedly leading a mob that assaulted former chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda and forced him to wear a garland made of shoes.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Wahiduzzaman ordered him to be sent to jail on Tuesday, setting Jun 25 as the date for his bail hearing.

Prosecution Police Sub-Inspector Atiqur Rahman said Mohammad Nazrul Islam, the investigating officer of the case and an inspector at Uttara West Police Station, produced Hanif before the court and sought his detention in jail.

“Hanif’s lawyer sought bail, but the judge sent him to jail and scheduled the hearing for [Wednesday],” Atiqur said.

The assault incident occurred just six hours after Huda was named as a suspect in a case filed by the BNP over alleged election manipulation.

Around 7:30pm, a group of purported students and locals stormed his apartment in Dhaka’s Uttara, pelted him with eggs, dragged him outside in a lungi and undershirt, and placed a garland of shoes around his neck before one individual struck him with a shoe. He was later handed over to police.

Footage streamed live on Facebook showed some uniformed police present at the scene while the assault occurred, prompting criticism of law-enforcercing agencies’ inaction.

Later, police took him into custody. On Monday, a Dhaka court granted police four days to question Huda in custody over the allegations.

Meanwhile, the video of Huda being humiliated went viral on social media, attracting widespread criticism.

The interim government issued a statement pledging action against those responsible.

Uttara West Police Station SI Sajeeb Hasan filed a case in the incident on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday, a team of army personnel arrested Hanif in Dhaka’s Uttara.