Sylhet Correspondent :
The OC posts of all police stations in Sylhet district have been reshuffled through a lottery. Gowainghat’s name is also on that list.
And here the controversial OC Abdul Ahad is returning to duty again – who is known for praise and criticism.
The reaction of the people of Gowainghat to his return to duty has become more intense this time. It has triggered a new discussion among the common people.
Protests are going on on social media, with questions being raised in posts: ‘Will the previous story return to Gowainghat again?’ Gowainghat seems to have once again become the center of discussion.
OC Abdul Ahad is generally known as the former OC of Gowainghat Police Station.
In 2019, he was awarded the Best OC for his special contribution to maintaining law and order while in charge of Gowainghat Police Station.
Under his leadership, significant success was achieved in crime prevention activities in the police station area.
But there is also the opposite side of the coin in his career. Because his career has not been entirely sweet.
In 2021, a case was filed against him under the Anti-Corruption Act, which has made him known as a controversial character.
OC Ahad’s name came into discussion for the second time in 2019 for the arrest and torture of Chhatra Dal leader Annu Malik Liton and later for framing him in a drug case.
In 2018, Gowainghat Police Station OC Ahad is accused of smuggling 450 crore taka from the country to India through hundi and accepting a bribe of 4.5 crore taka, Abdul Ahad.
Liton’s family and party BNP claim that he was first disappeared, later ‘preparations for crossfire’ were made in the Jaflong tea garden area, when the matter became public, he was shown detained with 1 kg of heroin, and he was subjected to inhuman torture in police station custody.
Liton’s family alleges that the heroin seized was actually flour and no forensic report was presented to the court. However, the police filed a chargesheet in the case.
On October 5, 2023, the court ordered the death penalty for Liton. The case is currently pending in the High Court. Liton’s family and the BNP are expecting justice, claiming that the case is “formulaic and motivated”.
In the wake of various past allegations, OC Ahad has received mixed reactions from locals.
Many have expressed their anger, especially on social media.
At the same time, Liton’s family says – “They will not stop until justice is done.”
As soon as the news of today’s posting spread, a strong reaction began on social media. Local resident Rubel Ahmed wrote, “The previous line will be resumed… the devils will remain in peace.”
Sadiqur Rahman, president of the Goainghat Reporters Club, commented, “Controversial OC Abdul Ahad is back in Goainghat. There has been a mixed reaction in the public mind.”
Many are protesting on social media. Posts and statuses are saying, ‘Goainghat residents do not want him’ and are calling for his arrest to restore peace and stability to the police station. Public opinion is heated and controversial.
On the one hand, his skills, experience and crime-fighting capabilities are being welcomed, while on the other hand, past allegations and controversies are being recalled.
Goainghat is like a special ‘sweet police station’ for him-where his repeated returns have created new fears and expectations among the locals.
Well-wishers say that OC Ahad’s reassignment is not only administrative, it could also affect the relationship between the local community and the police.
Local businessmen, teachers and ordinary people are worried whether the police station will remain as stable and safe as before.
