Col Oli granted bail, attacked by AL workers in Ctg court

Our Correspondent CHITTAGONG, Nov 24: LDP chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, MP was attacked today by the ruling party workers in a Chittagong court. The workers of Jubo League and Mohila Awami League threw sandals and showed brooms to the lawmaker when Ahmed went to the court to surrender in a defamation case filed against him. The court of metropolitan magistrate Mahbubur Rahman ordered Oli Ahmed to present himself in person in the case filed by Aftab Ahmed Shimul, a businessman and Awami League supporter in Oli's constituency Chandanaish on November 20. In his defamation case Shimul stated that Oli Ahmed at a party meeting on November 18 said one female MP cannot solve problems of all the youths of Chandanaish. More fair ladies should be brought from Tungipara to solve their problems. His statement was published in the local print media on November 19. As the LDP chief surrendered to the court and prayed for bail the court sanctioned him bail and ordered that the next hearing will take place on November 27. Situation in the court compound turned volatile as supporters of Col Oli and the pro-government workers chanted slogans for and against the lawmaker when he appeared in the court compound at 11:00am. Jubo League activists hurled brickbats and sandals on the car that carried Oli Ahmed to the court. In retaliation the activists of Oli's Liberal Democratic Party hurled stones at the ruling party workers. However, the law enforcement agency thwarted both the parties and escorted Oli to the court room. During the chase and counter chase between the political groups two LDP workers were injured and two cameramen of private TV channel NTV and Somoy TV received minor injuries. Two vehicles including that of Oli were partly damaged. After reaching his city residence at the Laldighi area Col Oli told the media that 30 workers of his party were injured as the ruling party miscreants attacked him on the court premises. "They attacked me for political reasons as I left the ruling alliance and joined the anti-government movement with the main opposition BNP. The Juba League workers assaulted me with the help of the metropolitan police," he said. "I did not say anything bad against the female MP Chemon Ara Tayab or anybody else in my party meeting. The media have wrongly published my statement which I did not give. I am now 73 years old and have respect for womenfolk." In the hurriedly called press conference Col Oli also severely attacked JSD lawmaker Moinuddin Ahmed Khan Badal and AL lawmaker Engineer Mosharaf Hossain. "Moinuddin Khan Badal took a lot of money from me which he did not pay as yet. I also saved the life of Engineer Mosharaf when he was attacked by miscreants at Fatikchhari on his way back home from a party meeting in 1993. Both Badal and Mosharaf severely criticized Oli Ahmed MP for his unwanted remarks about the womenfolk and particularly about a female MP and the Prime Minister.