Over 6,000 cases of ‘political harassment’ recommended for withdrawal after review

A central committee has reviewed 6295 cases and proposed removing those deemed ‘political harassment’

file photo

The home ministry has recommended the withdrawal of more than 6,000 cases, considering them as “political harassment”.

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said a central committee scrutinised 6,295 cases submitted by field-level authorities and proposed dismissing 6,202 of them after determining they were politically motivated.

It added that the initiative, jointly undertaken by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, will continue to prevent unwarranted harassment of innocent people and political leaders.

The central committee, chaired by Law Advisor Asif Nazrul, held eight meetings to review the proposals before making its final decision.

The interim government has formed two committees tasked with advising on the removal of “harassment cases” filed against political leaders and innocent individuals due to political vendettas or other reasons.

One operates at the district level while the other functions at the ministerial level.

The district-level committee, led by the district magistrate, consists of four members.

The additional district magistrate serves as its member secretary, with the superintendent of police (or a deputy commissioner for metropolitan areas) and the public prosecutor (or the metropolitan public prosecutor for city cases).

The ministry-level committee, headed by the law advisor, consists of six members.

It includes the senior secretary of the Public Security Division under the home ministry, an additional secretary (law and order), a joint secretary (law), and a representative from the law ministry (not below the rank of joint secretary).

Field-level committees assess cases and forward their recommendations to the central committee, which makes the final decision.