Atia Mahal Case: police press charges against three

 Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) on Saturday pressed charges against three people in a case filed over the four-day anti-militant drive conducted at Atiya Mahal in Dakshin Surma Upazila in March, 2017, saying they motivated the four militants who were killed in the drive.

Dewan Abul Hossain, inspector of PBI and investigation officer of the case, submitted the 534-page charge sheet before Sylhet Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court 29 months after the incident.

The accused are – Arzina, 19, sister of militant Morzina who was killed in Operation Twilight at Atiya Mahal; Zahurul Haque alias Jashim, 25, her husband; and Hasan, 26, of Bandarban’s Naikhongchari.  

Dewan Abul Hossain said the three were arrested from Chattogram’s Sitakunda area on March 15, 2017 in a different militant case. Later, they were shown arrested on January 17 this year in the case filed over Atiya Mahal incident. Currently they are being kept at Chattogram Jail.

Describing the three as members of militant gang, the inspector said they were named in the chargesheet under Section 6 (2), 7(3),8, 9(3) of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Five other accused were not named in the charge sheet as they died in anti-militant drive, he added.

On March 24 of 2017, law enforcers identified a militant-hideout in a building named ‘Atia Mahal’ in the early morning. Later, a para-commando team of Bangladesh Army conducted ‘’Operation Twilight’’ at the building the next morning that ended on March 28.

Seven people, including a high-ranked Rab official and two police inspectors, were killed during the drive.

Police filed two separate cases regarding the incident.