A Chittagong court yesterday granted bail to ruling Awami League (AL) lawmaker Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury, MP, after he surrendered before it in a case filed against him for assaulting an election official. The court also granted bail to Banshkhali upzila Awami Olama League President Moulovi Akhter and Tajul Islam, private secretary to the MP, Chowdhury’s fellow accused. As per a High Court (HC) order, which denied him anticipatory bail, the lawmaker surrendered before the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Md Sajjad Hossain and sought bail. Assistant Public Prosecutor Bikash Ranjan Dhar said he opposed the bail but the court granted bail as a parliament session is on currently. On June 12, a HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Amir Hossain directed lawmaker Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury from Chittagong-16 to surrender before a trial court by June 20 in the case filed on charges of assaulting the election official.
On June 1, Chowdhury and his followers allegedly assaulted upazila election official Zahid Hossain at the local UNO office and driven him out from the area for not appointing the MP’s men of choice as polling officers for the union parishad polls. Following the incident, the victim lodged a complaint with the EC. The following day, the EC sent a letter to the OC of Banshkhali Police Station asking him to file a case against the lawmaker and his aides.