To: Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed Hon'ble Chief Adviser of Non-party Caretaker Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Subject: Voice Strong Condemnation and Demand Immediate Investigation of the October 22, 2007 Incident, and Punishment of Mr. Nazim Kamran & Mrs. Gita Ara Chowdhury (Your Cabinet Member) - If Found Guilty - For Defaming Your Government, Violating the Rule of Law and Engaging in Brutality Hon'ble Chief Adviser, I, the undersigned, strongly condemn and immediately demand the authorities concerned to investigate into an egregious and heinous incident of 22 October 2007 when Mr. Nazim Kamran Chowdhury, spouse of Advisor Mrs. Gita Ara Shafia Choudhury, her brother Abu Rushed Tarak, cousin Mokim Chowdhury along with their gang attacked Dr. Mahbub-ul-Islam with rods and sticks. Mr. Chowdhury slapped Mrs. Islam and tore her saree when she was begging him to save her husband. He orally abused her and made threats to kill her husband. Dr. Islam who received injury on his right leg, was hospitalised. Currently, they are afraid to move to their property due to death threats from Mr. & Mrs. Chowdhury and their gangsters. Dr. and Mrs. Islam own a six storied building located at House 7A Road 41 Gulshan 2, Dhaka. The couple rented four out of six floors to Mr. Nazim Kamran and Mrs. Gita Ara Chowdhury for the past four years. The tenant is now forcefully attempting to claim the whole property. Dr. Mahbub-ul and Mrs Farhana Islam lodged a complaint with the RAB unit 1 commander on December 6, 2006, but no action has been taken since then. On 22 October 2007, the incident occurred when Dr. Islam objected building of a new construction in his property by Mr. & Mrs. Chowdhury without prior permission and the news of the brutality and assault was published in the daily Din Kal of 22 October 2007. Dr. Islam is a very polite, soft-spoken, gentle, honest, taciturn, innocuous, adorable and simple person. After completing his Ph.D. in Economics from Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, he joined as a faculty member at St. Francis University, Loreto, Pennsylvania. He received tenure in 1994 there. (A tenured professor is guaranteed a lifetime teaching job!). It was always his dream to leave his permanent and comfortable job and to return to Bangladesh to serve his native country. He sent his wife and their two children to Bangladesh in 1996. For eight long and dreary years-from May 1998 through August 2006 - he visited to see his family for less than two months during his summer and winter break. He led an extremely simple life here, saved every dollar to buy property in Bangladesh out of his honest income. He was supposed to return to St. Francis University to resume teaching last month, but didn't. His wife and two children are U.S. citizens. Dr. Islam is a model of 'word and deed." True to his words, he left his secure, permanent and comfortable job and returned to Bangladesh only to serve his motherland. This couple is now wondering whether their patriotic responsibility at the cost of huge personal sacrifice was worth it! One of the three pillars of capitalism/market system is that it's citizens should have the right to own private property. On the other hand, it is the dire responsibility of the government in a market/capitalist economy to ensure that the private property (and lives) of it's citizens is well protected. How can the current caretaker government expect to attract people, experts and money from abroad to develop Bangladesh considering this dreadful incidence? Isn't this incidence setting a bad precedent for other overseas Bangladeshis who want to follow in the couple's footsteps? I urge you to immediately: a) Ensure the protection of life and property of Dr. & Mrs. Mahbub-ul Islam and their family. b) Evict Dr. Islam's tenant, Mr. Nazim Kamran and Mrs. Gita Ara Chowdhury, from his six-storied building located at House 7A Road 41 Gulshan 2, Dhaka, so that the owners can freely move and occupy their own property without any threat c) Investigate the incident, and punish Mr. Nazim Kamran and Mrs. Gita Ara Chowdhury, if found guilty, as they defame the government and the country both at home and abroad. I believe that your government seeks to establish the 'rule of law' with utmost impartiality. It is a challenge to you and your government to have objectivity, honesty, transparency, and accountability in promptly discharging this special case, and to prove to the Bangladeshis residing at home and overseas that no one, including Adviser Mrs. Giti Ara Chowdhury, her spouse, relatives and their gangsters is above the law of the land that you and your Cabinet members as well as General Moeen U. Ahmed so proudly and unequivocally stated in public. Sincerely yours, Gopal Sengupta
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