Naznin Anwar – elder daughter of Firoza Begum Chinu, former Member of Parliament for a reserved seat and President of Rangamati District Women’s Awami League- filed a complaint with the Rangamati Kotwali Police station on 12 December claiming to ‘feel extremely annoyed and humiliated’ by a news by a popular local online portal pahar24.com, headlined ‘Pirate’s Birmobona’, published on 3 December. She also alleged that the news caused ‘defamation’.
She claimed to be ‘a shareholder of Pirates Restaurant’ and ‘Operator’ of DC Banglo Park’s permission recipient Md Hossain.
One day later, on 13 December Firoza Begum Chino, former Member of Parliament for the reserved seat and President of Rangamati District Women’s Awami League filed a separate complaint with the police alleging “excessive annoyance and humiliation” and “defamation of long political and social life”.
In the criminal complaint she asked for taking legal action.
On the basis of the two allegations, Abul Khair, a sub-inspector of Kotwali police station of Rangamati filed a petition with the Rangamati Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court on 14 December seeking permission to investigate the underlying crime. After a hearing on 30 December the court allowed the additional police super of Rangamati Sadar Circle to investigate the complaints.
In both separate complaints editor of the local online portal of Rangamati ‘Alokito Rangamati’ has been accused along with Fazle Alahi, editor of pahar24.com and Daily Parbotyo Chattogram.
Pahar24 and Daily Parbatyo Chattogram published a news headlined ‘Rangamati district administration’s Pirates trouble’, on 3 and 4 December respectively. The news cited written and spoken statements of Naznin Anwa given at a press conference on 1 December, copy of the agreement of the district administration with Md Hossain, report of the related investigation committee of the district administration, report of the executive magistrate, an investigation report sent to the high level of the government by an intelligence agency, written complaint of the locals to the district and various administrations of Rangamati, information taken from Narcotics Control Department.
Three years ago, the district administration allowed a person named Mohammad Hossain to use the DC Bungalow Park for two years in Rangamati under 13 conditions. But Nazneen Anwar, daughter of then-reserved seat MP Firoza Begum Chinu, who claims to be Md Hossain’s business partner, started a restaurant called ‘Pirates’ in the park.
After the park’s two-year term expired, the deputy commissioner of Rangamati refused to renew the contract. Among reciprocal allegations regarding the issue, Nazneen Anwar filed four cases against the deputy commissioner and his home and office staff. At last, she also took legal action against the editors of the two local newspapers.
