Case Filed Against 16 People, Including Former Chhatra League Leader Habib, Over Attack on Hasib

A case has been filed against 16 people, including banned Chhatra League leader Habibur Rahman Habib, over the machete attack on Hasib Al Islam, president of the Dhaka University unit of Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, in Sreemangal, Moulvibazar.

Pritam Das, central joint convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), filed the case with Sreemangal Police Station on Tuesday night. Habibur Rahman has been named as the main accused.

Police said Habibur Rahman was a former joint general secretary of the Chhatra League’s Sreemangal Government College unit. As his name was mentioned in the case statement, he has been identified as one of those involved in the attack. Police are continuing their efforts to arrest him.

The attack took place around 12 noon on Tuesday (November 10) in front of Balishira Resort in the Radhanagar area of Sreemangal upazila. Mr. Hasib was travelling in an auto-rickshaw with his wife when the attackers stopped them on the way.

According to the case statement, a group of people led by Habibur Rahman stopped Mr. Hasib and his wife with local weapons.

At one point, Mr. Habib attacked Mr. Hasib’s head with a machete. Mr. Hasib tried to block the attack with his left hand and suffered a serious injury just below his wrist. The other attackers allegedly beat him and his wife with sticks and iron rods.

A video of the incident has spread on social media. It shows a man shouting insults at Hasib, calling him a “July militant”, while he was inside the auto-rickshaw.

The man later shook hands with Mr. Hasib but again made offensive comments. At one point, he attacked him with a machete. Mr. Hasib got out of the auto-rickshaw and ran away to escape the attack.

After the attack, Mr. Hasib returned to Balishira Resort, where the authorities bandaged his injured hand. He was later sent to Dhaka for better medical treatment, according to the case statement.

Meanwhile, NCP, Jatiya Chhatra Shakti and activists of several other organisations held a protest and blocked roads at Chowmuhana intersection in Sreemangal town on Tuesday evening.

They demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in the attack and exemplary punishment for them.

Officer-in-Charge of Sreemangal Police Station Sarkar Abdullah Al Mamun said a case had been registered over the attack. Police are continuing operations to arrest the accused.