CCC Councilor Zahurul Alam Jasim temporarily suspended
It should be noted that there are three other cases of cutting hills against Zahururl Alam Jashim
Councilor of Chittagong City Corporation No. 9 of North Pahartali Ward Zahurul Alam Jasim has been temporarily suspended by the Ministry of Local Government.
The suspension notice was issued on Wednesday (24 January), following allegations against him in connection with an incident involving the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).
Jasim, who serves as the joint convener of North Pahartali Ward Awami League, is the accused number 1 in the case related to the pelting of stones at the car of BELA and subsequent threats.
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The Ministry of Local Government, through a notification signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Abdur Rafiul Alam, revealed that the charge sheet for the case filed against Jasim at the Akbar Shah police station in Chittagong city had been accepted by the court.
Citing Section 12(1) of the Local Government (City Corporation) Act 2009, the ministry temporarily suspended him from his post. The notification emphasized that this decision was made under the instructions of the appropriate authorities.
Despite attempts to gather comments from senior officials of Chittagong City Corporation, they declined to provide any statements on the matter.
Furthermore, Councilor Zahurul Alam was unreachable for comments, as he did not respond to calls Wednesday night till Thursday morning.
The case against Jasim stems from an incident that occurred on 26 January last year when a BELA delegation, led by Chief Executive Rizwana Hasan, visited a hill-cutting site in the Akbar Shah Police Station area. The delegation alleged that Councilor Zahurul and his associates subjected them to rude behavior.
Subsequently, Rizwana Hasan filed a case against eight individuals, leading to a charge sheet filed by Akbar Shah Police on 12 June last year. In the charge sheet, Zahurul Alam is identified as accused number 1, while the other accused include Billal Hossain, Abu Noman, Saifuddin Bhuiyan, Anis Chowdhury, and Md. Shakeel. All, except Noman, are currently on bail.
The investigating officer in the case, Sub-Inspector Zahid Ullah Zaman of Akbar Shah Police Station, stated in the charge sheet that the accused, led by Councilor Zahurul Alam, obstructed the BELA delegation, blocked their car, and subjected them to various threats.
The police eventually took away the detained car.
Jasim's suspension raises questions about public officials' role in maintaining law and order and protecting environmental advocates in the region.
It should be noted that there are three other cases of cutting hills against Zahururl Alam Jashim.
