Rumeen Farhana, independent lawmaker for the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency, was involved in an argument with Manzur Kader Bhuiyan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sarail Police Station.
The incident took place in the OC’s office at the police station in Brahmanbaria on Thursday evening.
Several videos of the incident have gone viral on Facebook. The videos show OC Manzur seated in his office, with Rumeen Farhana sitting beside him. The MP’s supporters and associates are seen gathered around the OC’s desk.
MP Rumeen Farhana had requested security while visiting Durga Puja mandaps during the Sharadiya Durga Puja celebrations. However, OC Manzur did not arrange security for her. Around 8pm, the lawmaker went to the police station to inquire about allegations of irregularities and corruption against the OC. She remained in his office until 9pm.
A man accompanying the lawmaker alleged that the OC had taken Tk30,000 from him as a bribe. The OC denied the allegation and accused the man of being coached by Rumeen Farhana before being brought to the police station.
During the argument, the MP accused the OC of having a different political ideology and said, “I know your history, sir. Anyway, I am not concerned about that.”
When asked about her allegations, the OC said, “MP Rumeen Farhana came to the police station with hundreds of people and created a disturbance. She brought some people after coaching them to say all sorts of things. She said I take money from brick kilns. All the brick kilns in the haor areas are under the water. We had arranged security across the entire police station area during Durga Puja. However, it was difficult at that time to assign a police team specifically to accompany her.”
MP Rumeen Farhana said, “He [the OC] says, ‘She is an elected MP; the people will provide her security.’ But I need security. There are numerous allegations against him, including corruption, taking money from those involved in soil excavation and taking money from brick kiln owners.”
She added, “The area is prone to violence. They [the police] arrive only after the violence has ended. These are the issues I came to ask about today. The way he treated me is unacceptable for an elected MP.”
Brahmanbaria Superintendent of Police Md Jalal Uddin Fahim was called several times for comment, but he did not answer the calls.
