Landslide death seven years ago: case against Hashan Mahmood

A youth party leader filed a murder case against 278 people including former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud in connection with the death of three people including a child due to the landslide of the mountain in Chittagong's Rangunia.

On Tuesday (August 27), the case was filed in Chittagong Chief Judicial Magistrate Shahidul Haque's court by Nazim Uddin, Assistant Secretary of Uttar District Youth Party. In the case, the names of Awami League Joint General Secretary Hashan Mahmud along with various units of Awami League, Jubo League, Chhatra League, Krishak League of various units of Rangunia and Chittagong have been mentioned.

Plaintiff's lawyer Ashrafur Rahman said the court has directed the OC of Rangunia police station to register an FIR and take action against the accused.

According to the statement of the case, on December 30, 2017, three people, including a child, died due to the fall of the earth cutter in Mohammadpur village of Dakshin Rajanagar union of Rangunia upazila in Lelang hill, a reserve of forest department. Using Hasan Mahmud's power, the accused entered the reserved forest of the forest department and cut the soil to fill the various development institutions of the city. When terrorists led by Hashan Mahmud were cutting the soil of that mountain, three people including a child died when the mountain collapsed.

Lawyer Ashrafur Rahman said that the murder case has been filed under Section 447-48, 323, 304 and Section 34 of the Penal Code on the charge of killing three persons by trespassing.

Incidentally, Acting Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmood was previously Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Minister of Environment and Forests. Before that, he was the State Minister for Foreign Affairs for six months in 2009. However, Awami League joint general secretary Hasan Mahmud has not been seen in public since the fall of the government. On August 8, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) ordered the blocking of bank accounts in the name of Hasan Mahmood and his family members.

Bangladesh /KH