BNP Leader Remanded in Custody Over Cox’s Bazar Court Shooting

A local leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been remanded in custody by a Cox’s Bazar court in connection with a high-profile firearm incident that took place on the grounds of the District Judge’s Court earlier this year.

Liakat Ali, aged 46, also known locally as Liakat Member, surrendered before the Cox’s Bazar Additional Judicial Magistrate Court on Wednesday, 12 August, seeking bail in an arms case stemming from the shooting. The presiding judge, Irfanul Haq Chowdhury, formally rejected the application and ordered law enforcement to convey him directly to prison, according to defence counsel Golam Faruk Khan Kaysar.

Liakat, son of Akbar Ali Member, serves as the current elected member representing Ward 4 of Jhilongja Union under Cox’s Bazar Sadar Upazila, alongside his role as the general secretary of the local Jhilongja Union BNP unit.

Court Precinct Gunfire and Investigation Background

The charges originate from a violent disruption on 24 May at approximately 11:00 am, near the rear entrance gate of the Cox’s Bazar District Judge’s Court complex. A man named Moinuddin sustained severe gunshot injuries during the attack.

Bystanders at the scene managed to apprehend one suspect, identified as Ziaul, before police forces arrived. Following the incident, personnel from the District Detective Branch (DB), Special Branch, and Sadar Police Station launched a coordinated operation, seizing a foreign-made pistol and detaining two suspects.

Subsequently, two separate cases were registered at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Station under the Arms Act—one initiated by an injured party and another filed directly by the police against seven named individuals. Sub-Inspector Rafiq, the lead investigating officer, conducted an extensive inquiry into the incident, eventually naming Liakat as an accused party in the police charge sheet after discovering evidence linking him to the execution of the attack.

Initial narrative reports on the day of the incident suggested that armed miscreants fired shots to abduct a key witness attending a murder trial, while alternative claims alleged that Liakat himself had been targeted. However, video footage of the shooting that subsequently circulated on social media altered the direction of the investigation. Tactical analysis of the digital evidence revealed that the event had been carefully staged by Liakat’s faction. Unconfirmed local reports suggest the scheme may have been devised to strengthen an application for a personal firearm licence.

Law Enforcement Actions and Related Arrests

The arrest of the union BNP leader follows continued operations by law enforcement agencies against suspects named in the charge sheet.

On Sunday, 9 August, a team from the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-15) arrested 22-year-old Md Mehedi, listed as the third named accused in the primary statement. Operatives conducted a targeted raid in the South Muhuripara Shikdar Bari area of Jhilongja Union at 11:00 am to take him into custody.

Sheikh Mohammad Ali, Officer-in-Charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Police Station, confirmed that four individuals, including Liakat Member, have now been sent to prison in connection with the courtroom shooting as judicial proceedings move forward.