Amin Uddin Mollah is dead and buried for two years and 10 months.

But a police officer in Gazipur "clearly saw" him and 21 others on the night of October 28 when the latter were fleeing after throwing a crude bomb at a police team, according to the case statement.

Sub-inspector Salahuddin of Gazipur's Kapasia Police Station filed the case the next day naming 22 people, including Amin, and many other unknown people, on charges of "attempting to kill police personnel".

The alleged incident took place in Targaon Medical Intersection area at 11:30pm, and the SI said in the case statement that he was able to clearly see the suspects under the street lights along the road.

"I do not know if the police officer saw Amin Uddin or his ghost. Or maybe Amin Uddin came out of his grave that night," said local union parishad member Mostafa Kamal.

Amin's son-in-law Mozammel Haque and his neighbour Md Saifullah of Khirati village said the man died on January 25, 2021, while undergoing treatment at a hospital in the capital. He was 65.

Mostafa Kamal, the local union parishad member, said Kapasia police even collected Amin's death certificate after his demise in 2021 in relation to a case at the time.

Amin retired as Narsingdi's Monohordi upazila education officer, and later joined Jamaat-e-Islami politics, three locals and a Jamaat leader said.

Md Abu Bakar Mia, officer-in-charge of Kapasia Police Station, said they will look into the matter.

BNP and Jamaat leaders have long been claiming that the government is using state machinery, including police, to suppress the opposition by implicating their leaders and activists in false cases.

Over the last one decade, filing of cases against dead people, migrant workers, hajj pilgrims and sick people travelling abroad for treatment made repeated headlines.

Often, such cases were filed immediately before and after elections, and in most instances, people involved in BNP and Jamaat politics have been the victims of these cases, sarcastically called "ghostly cases."

The hallmark of these cases is that the implicated persons were nowhere near the places of occurrence when the alleged crimes took place. 

A similar trend has returned in recent weeks, especially centring on the October 28 opposition rally in the capital that was foiled by heavy police action.

According to BNP, at least 18,090 party leaders and activists were arrested in 475 cases across the country from October 28 to November 30.

Jamaat says law enforcers arrested 2,845 leaders and workers in 104 cases from October 25 to November 30.

Muhammad Ataur Rahman Sarker, publicity secretary of Jamaat's Dhaka north unit, said many of their leaders and activists have been victims of such false cases and enforced disappearances over the last several years.

Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua said filing of "ghostly" cases is a clear violation of fundamental rights of citizens.

"In the judicial system, those who file false cases can be prosecuted and punished," he added.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said police and ruling party activists are filing false cases by abusing the legal system to suppress the opposition leaders and activists.

Sheikh Mohammad Shamim, former Chhatra Dal leader of Gazipur City Corporation's Ward-54, is one such victim, who has nothing to do with the alleged crime but has been implicated nevertheless.

On October 26, police arrested him and 56 others from Tongi. Family members and sources in the court said Shamim was subsequently sent to jail.

But in a case filed on October 31 by Tongi police, Shamim has been charged with setting fire to a motorcycle and vandalising several vehicles in Tongi on October 30.

Contacted, SI Taim Uddin of Tongi West Police Station who filed the case said he would like to have a face-to-face conversation about the matter.

Al Amin Sarkar, a Jamaat supporter, from Brahmanbaria's Kasba is another.

On November 2, four days after BNP's Nayapaltan rally, Emdadul Haque Palash, former general secretary of local Chhatra League, sued 57 BNP-Jamaat leaders and supporters for "vandalising four bikes, beating him up and snatching Tk 2 lakh from him".

The alleged incident happened in Kasba municipality area at 7:40am.

Al Amin's immigration papers show he landed at Dhaka airport at 6:00am that day after performing Umrah in Saudi Arabia, where he flew on October 19.

Brahmanbaria is about 100km from Dhaka airport and is about four hours' journey.

Al Amin's wife Umme Habiba Fatema said her husband, a Jamaat supporter, came out of the airport around 8:30am after completing immigration formalities. The couple stayed at a cousin's house in Dhaka that night and the next day, and returned to Brahmanbaria on November 4.

Police arrested him from Kasba on November 5, she said.

In the same case, Emdadul named Deen Islam Bhuiyan as an accused although he was in prison at the time.

Deen Islam, 70, has been in jail since police arrested him on September 15 from Brahmanbaria, said his son Tanvir Bhuiyan.

Kasba Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Mohiuddin said a private citizen filed the case and that they would take appropriate measures after investigation.

Police in Magura filed two cases on November 1 and 3 against two men over political violence, when they were in Malaysia and Bahrain.

One of them is Alamin Kazi of Magura's Shalikha, an expatriate businessman in Malaysia. The other is Rajib Sikder, an expat in Bahrain.

Travel documents, family members and both the expats confirm that they were not in Bangladesh on those dates.

"Like in 2013 and 2018, the government is trying to create panic among the people ahead of the election so they cannot take to the streets. Police are arresting our leaders and activists indiscriminately. They are employing such tactics so people do not rise up against the autocratic rule," Rizvi said.

Rights activist Nur Khan said police continue to file such cases as they are not held accountable for victimising innocent people.

"It is clear form the cases filed across the country that the accused are supporters of opposition parties. It shows that police are being used by the government for political gains," he said.

It also demonstrates police inefficiency, he said, adding, "Police have the list of opposition leaders and workers. So they use their names whenever they file a case without any verification."  

Anwar Hossain, deputy inspector general (operations) at the Police Headquarters, said there are strict instructions for the local police to verify case-related information before pressing charges against anyone.

"If police filed cases against dead men or people already in jail, it is wrong and unjust on the part of the officers concerned. We will ask the units concerned to investigate and if anyone is found guilty of filing such cases, actions will be taken against them as per the rules," he told The Daily Star.

According to Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua, courts need to intervene in these matters as such cases may erode public trust in the judiciary.

"It is a matter of concern. I think such cases are a clear threat to the judicial system," he said.

We are all quite familiar with the concept of vampires, zombies, and ghosts, as we see them in all our favourite Hollywood movies, and during Halloween, these monsters are usually what we resort to imitate. And that's quite sad really, considering how rich our own supernatural folklore is.

And so, for this Halloween, here are 6 Bengali supernatural beings your parents warned you about when growing up.

Brahmodaittyo

These are among the most well-liked ghosts in Bengal and are thought to be the spirits of revered Brahmins. They typically show up with the sacred thread wrapped around their bodies and a traditional dhoti. Many Bengali tales, folklores, and films show how friendly and helpful they are to the living.

Dainee

Photo: Collected

The word 'dainee' means a witch. Dainee is a living thing rather than a soul or a spirit. Old suspicious women knowledgeable in voodoo, various witchcraft, or black magic are typically referred to as "dainee" in Bengali villages. They are thought to kidnap children, kill them, and then drink their blood to live for a hundred years.

Kanabhulo

This ghost hypnotises a person and transports him to an unidentified area. The victim goes to a different location that is silent and unsettling rather than arriving at his intended location. The victim then becomes insane. These spirits typically attack at night. Such ghosts prey on lone travellers or individuals who become separated from their group.

Begho Bhoot

The Bengali word Baagh, which means tiger, is the source of the word Begho. Begho Bhoot is found in the Sundarbans, where ghosts of people killed or eaten by tigers roam around. These types of ghosts are believed to exist by the locals. People who venture into the bush in quest of honey or woods are allegedly frightened by these creatures, who then attempt to force them to confront tigers. To frighten the inhabitants, they occasionally impersonate tigers.

Petni/Shakchunni

Female ghosts known as 'petni' are either widowed or left with unfulfilled ambitions. Pretni, a Sanskrit term, is where the word Petni first appeared (the feminine gender of Preta). The Sanskrit term Shankhachurni is the source of the Shakchunni. It is the ghost of a married woman, who typically carries in her hands the distinctive traditional conch shell bangles known as "shankha" in Bengali, which married Hindu women in this region wear. 

Different from petnis, shakchunnis are thought to live in trees in Bangladesh and attack anybody who bothers them on the streets. They are invincible, and the only way to get rid of them is to summon a clergy, who can do so by making a simple request.

Pishach/Adomkhor

The demonic creature mostly feeds on the flesh of the dead. They prefer the shadows and are typically portrayed as haunting cemeteries and crematories. They can change their shapes at will and have the ability to disappear. Sometimes they take control of people and change their minds, leaving their victims suffering from various illnesses and oddities, including insanity. 

Photo: Shababa Rashid

Makeup: Shababa Rashid

On Tuesday, Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul expressed that the interim government was embarrassed by the continued filing of "ghost" cases—a troubling legacy from the ousted autocratic regime of the Awami League. We appreciate this candid acknowledgment from the law adviser, a transparency we did not see from the previous regime. The law adviser clarified that the interim government was not behind such cases; instead, it is ordinary citizens, many of whom were politically victimised under the previous regime, who are now filing these frivolous cases. He further mentioned seeking advice from the judicial reform commission on how to address this crisis. But with the harassment of potentially innocent citizens continuing, we must demand answers and greater efforts from the government.

Read more

No innocent should be harassed legally

Consider, for instance, the case of Mohammad Zaman Hossain Khan. Zaman, a former student leader of BNP, filed a case with a Dhaka court on October 29 against 196 individuals for attempted murder through firing at protesters during the July-August uprising. Among the accused are 53 former secretaries that Zaman alleged to be "agents of foreign intelligence" and "collaborators of fascism, harmful towards the state, and corrupt officials." According to a report by Prothom Alo, some of these accused individuals retired years ago. When questioned about this, Zaman suggested their role during the previous regime was questionable. But are his allegations based on concrete evidence? More importantly, why did the sheer number of accused not raise red flags for the authorities when this case was filed?

Read more

The indiscriminate arrests and murder charges

Zaman's case is not an isolated example. In October, this daily reported two First Information Reports (FIRs) filed with the Jatrabari Police Station that listed the same 442 individuals as accused for the deaths of two people who died on different days and under different circumstances in July. What justification did the police have for recording such dubious FIRs?

Read more

This weaponisation of legal cases must stop

If the allegations are substantiated, the accused should indeed face consequences. But what about cases that are ultimately proven baseless and politically motivated? A veteran political expert told Prothom Alo that filing such cases is, in itself, a crime. Yet no legal action has been taken against those filing frivolous cases. This must change. To end this "culture of filing wholesale cases," which the law adviser said the interim government wants to do, it must take immediate action. Police must exercise due diligence before registering any case, ensuring that only cases with actionable claims and a reasonable number of suspects are recorded. And those who deliberately file "ghost" cases should be held accountable.

Read more

Stop police culture of implicating rivals

Ishaq Islam, president of a union unit of pro-BNP Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, and 300 others blocked Narayanganj Ring Road on November 20, blasted crude bombs, and vandalised vehicles, according to a case filed against them.

Fatullah Police Station Sub-Inspector Shahadat Hossain filed this case.

Talking to The Daily Star, Ishaq and his close relatives said he has been studying in Japan for eight months now. There is no way he could be involved, they insisted.

The case was filed under the Special Powers Act and the Explosives Substances Act, which has provision for the death penalty.

Friends and families said Ishaq is studying Japanese language at Kobe International Japanese Language Academy.

"I have been out of the country for eight months. Yet they framed me in a case over vandalism and cocktail explosions," Ishaq told this newspaper.

"They would have destroyed my whole career if I were in the country now," he said.

His uncle Sohel Rana said Ishaq left Bangladesh in March.

Fatullah Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Rizaul Haque Dipu said anyone can be an accused, regardless of their current location, if they have connections with the incident.

In recent months, police and ruling party men have been filing cases against BNP men in different districts.

The BNP claims 169 "repressive" and "ghost cases" have been filed against 6,723 BNP leaders and activists and 15,050 unnamed people between August and November.

BNP leaders said these were Awami League's "political strategies" to suppress their movement.

In August, BNP started holding rallies demanding the next parliamentary elections are held under a neutral government, and protesting commodity price hikes.

Such "ghost cases" saw a rise ahead of BNP's December 3 rally in Rajshahi and the party's plan for a gathering in the capital on December 10. 

This newspaper recently analysed several cases and found discrepancies in claims made by the complainants and witnesses.

The case filed by SI Rahman Khandaker of Godagari Police Station in Rajshahi on November 17 is one example.

According to the case, Godagari municipality unit Jubo Dal Convener Mahmubur Rahman Biplob and 200 others assembled on Helipad ground in Godagari on November 16 night to destablise the situation through subversive activities, and make BNP's December 3 Rajshahi rally a success.

The complainant mentioned that Biplob and his supporters pelted a police team with stones and brick chunks when they went to the scene, after being tipped off. He also claimed to have recovered four "cocktails" (crude bombs) from the spot after the accused fled the scene.

The SI claimed that he got the names of Mahbubur Rahman and four other accused from witnesses.

His versions of the event have been contradicted by all the three people named in the case as witnesses.

"Police grabbed me by my arms minutes after I heard an explosion and took me to the Helipad ground nearby. There, police showed me four objects that looked like jorda cans [chewing tobacco can] and said they were bombs. Then police forced me to sign a paper," said Yusuf Ali, one of the witnesses.

He said he did not see any BNP leader or anybody else gathering on the ground. He also said he did not see anyone attacking the police.

Police also mentioned local Md Mohiuddin, 63, and Robiul Awal, an auto-rickshaw driver, as witnesses. Both of them said they did not see any BNP men or anybody else, or see police recovering any bombs.

They said police showed them four cans.

In another instance, a case mentioned that 40-50 BNP men clashed with Bangladesh Chhatra League men and attacked the BCL leaders and activists with bricks, iron rods and hockey sticks in Beanibazar in Sylhet.

Car driver Abdul Hafiz who "filed" the case on November 15 with the local police also mentioned that during the clash his car was vandalised by the BNP men.

Asked about this, Hafiz contradicted the allegations made in the case. He said he saw BNP men take shelter after being attacked by Awami League men and police. The clashes ensued when BNP men retaliated.

"I do not know what is written in the case statement as they [police] did not give me any copy," he added.

Ahead of BNP's November 19 rally in Sylhet, at least three cases were filed against 600 BNP men with different Sylhet police stations.

Discrepancies is also found in another case filed with Bandar Police Station in Narayanganj by BCL activist Md Sohel on November 18.

In the case, he accused 24 named, including local BNP leader Ataur Rahman Mukul, and 25 to 30 unknown others for an attack on a local AL office with axes, sickles, iron rods, and hockey sticks.

He also alleged the accused blasted crude bombs and looted Tk 50,000 and three mobile phones.

Contacted, Sohel said five to six people covering their faces attacked the AL office. One of them was carrying a stick.

In 13 days, 10 cases were filed in Narayanganj over subversive activities, attacking AL offices. Over 250 BNP and its front organisation leaders and workers and over 500 unknown others were accused.

In Tangail, at least 11 cases have been filed against BNP leaders and activists in different upazilas until Saturday. These cases, which the BNP termed false, named over 200 BNP men and over 600 others.

Police claimed these cases have been filed against the accused on specific charges, including preparation for sabotage.

Rezaul Karim, OC of Sakhipur Police Station where one case was filed, claimed four people were arrested and five crude bombs  were recovered in drives in different areas after an explosion on Wednesday night.

Eighty-eight people, including 38 identified BNP leaders and activists, were accused in the case. BNP leaders rejected the police claim, saying no explosion took place there.

Saiful Islam, a local, corroborated the BNP claim. He said on Wednesday night they watched a football match from 10:00pm, and did not hear any explosion.

BNP leaders alleged their partymen had to flee their homes in the police crackdown launched to prevent them from joining the Dhaka rally on December 10.

In Bogura, 12 cases were filed in the last 13 days by police and AL activists in connection with vandalism of AL offices, exploding crude bombs, recovery of bomb-like objects and throwing crude bombs at police.

In Pabna, at least eight such cases were filed by police and local AL leaders since November 20, naming 50 BNP men and over 1,000 unidentified others.

Noted rights activist Nur Khan Liton said, "Recently we have heard about cases where we find dissimilarities between what actually happened and what is recorded about an incident in the case document."

Referring to newspaper reports, he said cases are being filed over crude bomb explosions, but people who live around the spot did not hear any such sounds, which is very unfortunate.

In such cases names of a few accused are mentioned, while several hundred others are mentioned as unknown accused.

"When opposition parties announce any protest programme, their leaders and activists are detained and shown arrested in those cases even though they were not named as accused in those cases," he said.

He said this is done by an authoritarian government to prolong its stay in power by creating panic.

"This is done so that people don't dare to criticise the government for its misdeeds. But the fact is you cannot stay in power for long that way," he observed.

Our correspondents in Sylhet, Tangail, Pabna, and Bogura contributed to his report.