Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader arrested and expelled from the organization for hammer attack over extortion refusal

Local Correspondent

Police have arrested Monir Sardar, the convener of the Ujirpur Upazila Chhatra Dal in Barisal, on charges of beating and injuring an employee of a dredger business with a hammer for not paying a bribe. The central committee of the Chhatra Dal expelled him from the organization immediately after his arrest.

Uzirpur Model Police Station OC Muha. Rakibul Islam said that Monir Sardar (35) was arrested from Dhamura area on Saturday evening. He is the son of the late Hamed Sardar of Dakshin Dhamura village of the upazila and was the convener of Uzirpur Upazila Chhatra Dal.

Citing the case, the OC said that the plaintiff Monirul Islam is a dredger businessman. He works on a sand filling contract in Sholak Union of the upazila. After installing a pipe for sand supply, on January 4, 7-8 local armed men led by Monir Sardar demanded a ransom of two lakh taka from him.

Helpless, Monirul paid one lakh taka in three installments. When the remaining one lakh taka was not paid, the accused appeared in front of the Radhi house in Dakshin Dhamura village on the afternoon of March 13. When he refused to pay the extortion, they beat Abu Bakkar Hawlader, a mechanic of the dredger, with a hammer, seriously injuring him.

Upon receiving the news, locals rescued the injured and admitted them to the Agailjhara Upazila Health Complex. Monirul Islam filed a case on Friday night naming Monir Sardar as the main accused and naming eight other unidentified people as accused in the incident.

Monir Sardar, who had been in Chhatra Dal since January after extortion, was expelled from the organization in a press release signed by Md. Jahangir Alam, the office secretary of the Chhatra Dal central committee. The release said that he was expelled for his involvement in activities that violated the organization’s discipline.

The incident has sparked widespread discussion in local political circles. Many believe that party and legal action should be taken quickly against those involved in extortion and terrorist activities. Police said that the operation is continuing and efforts are underway to arrest other accused.