Latif Siddique says he won’t return home until attackers arrested, OC withdrawn

Abdul Latif Siddique has taken position in front of the returning officer’s office demanding justice for an alleged attack on him and his supporters in Tangail.

He has accused supporters of Awami League candidate Hasan Imam Khan Sohel Hazari of attacking his convoy at Kalihati’s Gohaliabari Union during his election campaign in Tangail on Sunday.

Siddique, a former minister and leader of the ruling Awami League, is contesting in the Dec 30 election as an independent candidate for Tangail-4.

He showed up around 2pm outside the office of Tangail’s Returning Officer’s Office with his supporters and several damaged vehicles.

Like all other districts, the deputy commissioner of Tangail is working as the district’s returning officer.  

“I’ll continue my demonstration until we have the environment needed for a fair election,” said Siddique.

“I got out of my home today like every other day. We reached Gohaliabari in Kalihati around noon and came under attack from supporters of the Awami League,” he said.

Siddique said the attackers threw brickbats injuring several of his supporters and damaging four vehicles.

Later in the night, Siddique said he would not return home until the arrest of the attackers and withdrawal of Kalihati Police Station OC Mir Mosharraf Hossain.   

“Police remained silent while my activists were being beaten. This is unacceptable,” he said.  

His supporters raised a tent in front of the DC’s office where he laid on beddings wearing blankets. 

He was there until midnight when the report was filed.

He filed a written complaint on being asked by Returning Officer Md Shahidul Islam.

The DC and Superintendent of Police Sanjit Kumar Roy requested him to go inside the office but he refused.

Sanjit said they were changing the officials assigned in the police detail of Latif Siddique.

Hazari could not immediately be contacted for comment.

He was elected MP in a 2015 by-election to Tangail-4, the constituency Latif Siddique had represented in parliament before his expulsion from the cabinet and the ruling Awami League over comments he made about hajj during a meeting in New York. 

Siddique was elected a member of the provincial council from the Awami League in the 1970 election. He had contested and won the elections in 1973, 1996 and 2008. He won the Tangail seat uncontested in the 2014 general election.