Form high-level investigative committee to probe Muradnagar incidents

Since the current interim government came to power, Muradnagar in Cumilla has repeatedly been in the spotlight for the perpetration of brutal crimes. Particularly shocking was the killings of a mother, brother, and sister from the same family by hacking and crushing with stones in broad daylight, and the stripping and torture of a local female schoolteacher inside an educational institution, which caused a nationwide uproar. In addition, a private television channel’s investigative report this week has brought to light several other horrifying terrorist incidents.

Although this report has been labelled as propaganda aimed at serving the political interests of the party owning the said television channel by Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, an adviser to the current government, the report holds Awami League-nominated local Union Parishad Chairman Shimul Billal and the adviser’s father Billal Hossain responsible for nearly a year of terror in Muradnagar. We have heard Billal Hossain's statement recorded over the phone in the aforementioned report. In that statement, he denied all allegations against him.

However, towards the end of the statement, he said in a somewhat threatening tone, “We will catch them, we’re watching, we’ll catch all of them. Where did you get all this from, go provide proof. Provide proof, if you can’t, we will take action wherever necessary.” This statement is not only a veiled threat to the journalist interviewing him over the phone but also raises concerns that the situation in Muradnagar—already prone to violence over the past year—might further deteriorate.

The report reveals that while the current government has dismissed all Union Parishad Chairmen affiliated with the Awami League across the country, only Shimul Billal, the Awami League-nominated Chairman of Muradnagar in Cumilla, remains in office. In a phone conversation with the private television channel’s reporter, Adviser Asif Mahmud’s father Billal Hossain referred to this Chairman as a respected person. Naturally, this raises public questions: why is Shimul Billal, the Awami League-affiliated Chairman, the only one still holding his position in Muradnagar when all others across the country have been dismissed? And why is this chairman, repeatedly accused of terrorism, being referred to as a 'respected' person by the adviser’s father?

In reality, Muradnagar has become a serious point of concern for the image of the current interim government. Under these circumstances, a high-level national investigative committee should be formed to uncover what has truly taken place in Muradnagar over the past eleven months. Appropriate actions should be taken based on the findings of the investigative report. Only then can peace return to Muradnagar, and public confidence in the government be restored.