Case against Maj. (retd.) Akhtaruzzaman for allegedly threating to assault an airport official - Prothom Alo English
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in DhakaFile photoA case has been filed against Major (Retd.) Akhtaruzzaman over allegations of creating disorder at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital, obstructing government duties, and harassing a security official on duty.
The case was filed on Thursday night at the airport police station by airport security officer Md. Shahriar Alam Sajib. Multiple sections of the Penal Code have been invoked in the case.
Police said the incident occurred over a shortage of luggage carts and trolleys. According to the police, Akhtaruzzaman publicly threatened the airport’s Executive Director, Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, saying, “I’ll grab you and beat you up” and “I’ll grab you by the neck and throw you out.”
Kamrul Hasan Talukdar, officer-in-charge (OC) of the airport police station, told Prothom Alo on Friday that the case includes allegations of obstructing government duties, causing injury, criminal use of force, intentional insult, and intimidation.
Akhtaruzzaman joined Jamaat as an associate member ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election.
According to the case statement, police said that at around 10:45 am yesterday, after passengers disembarked from a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight (BG-338) arriving from Medina, Saudi Arabia, there was a shortage of trolleys in the area of baggage belt No. 8. The delay in collecting luggage led to frustration and tension among the passengers.
The airport’s Executive Director, Group Captain SM Ragib Samad, went to the scene at the request of Mohammad Kamal Hossain, the Member of Parliament for Dhaka-5, to assess the situation.
Police further said that while he was trying to calm the passengers, Major (Retd.) Akhtaruzzaman approached him aggressively. He openly threatened the executive director, saying, “I’ll grab you and beat you up” and “I’ll grab you by the neck and throw you out.” He also allegedly made extremely obscene remarks about the Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism.
The case statement further says that protocol assistants accompanying Akhtaruzzaman began recording videos on their mobile phones in the airport’s restricted KPI area. Warrant Officer Mohammad Kamal Uddin, a security supervisor on duty there, told them not to record videos.
Akhtaruzzaman allegedly became enraged, verbally abused the officer, and at one point physically assaulted him. He has also been accused of damaging bottles of holy Zamzam water collected by passengers and behaving aggressively toward a representative of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
Police officials involved in the investigation said they will collect CCTV footage of the incident, statements from eyewitnesses, and other evidence. Based on this information, they said, the incident will be properly investigated and legal action will be taken.
