Your Right To Know
Monday, October 22, 2012
Tofail Ahmed, chairman of Naikkhangchhari upazila parishad and a prime suspect in the Ramu mayhem according to the government investigation report, sent his wife Monwara Begum to address a press conference in Cox's Bazar Press Club yesterday.
Monwara Begum read out Tofail's written statement defending him and rejecting the probe findings about her husband's alleged involvement in the attacks on the Buddhist community.
She claimed her husband was in Dhaka for official purposes, which was why she had to address the press conference.
"He is not a fugitive and was here (Naikkhangchhari) only two days ago," Monwara said.
According to newspaper reports, the probe body said that a meeting was held on September 28 at Tofail's residence a day before the attacks that destroyed 18 temples and 50 houses of the Buddhist community.
Monwara rejected the allegation soon enough, saying it was quite impossible to organise such a meeting as their home was situated in a restricted zone where members of BGB and intelligence departments also reside.
Tofail's statement also termed the newspaper reports as “false and imaginary” as the government investigation report has not been made public yet.
Locally known as Jamaat's man, Tofail has a nephew, Abdul Moktadir who, along with Omar Faruk exhibited and distributed the offensive Facebook images to Uttam Kumar Barua's page to provoke locals against the Buddhists.
Moktadir had gone to Tofail's house on September 28, his mother told The Daily Star.
Hamida Chowdhury, vice chairman of the upazila, Monkhiu Chakma, chairman of the upazila union parishad, Md. Nurul Amin, the upazila BNP president were also present in the press conference, among others.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Jasim Uddin, acting deputy commissioner (DC) of Cox's Bazar, was transferred and attached to the public administration ministry yesterday.
Jasim took over as the acting DC of Cox's Bazar from Mohammad Jainul Bari on September 30.
Bari was earlier transferred to Chittagong, but later made an officer on special duty (OSD) over his alleged inaction during the communal attacks on the Buddhist community in Ramu on September 29.
The reason for Jasim's transfer could not be ascertained immediately, reports a correspondent in Cox's Bazar.
Local sources said Jasim, who was additional deputy commissioner in Cox's Bazar during the mayhem, also did not take any steps to quell the violence.
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