A high-stakes confrontation unfolded at the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) headquarters on Tuesday night after officers from Khulshi Police Station attempted to arrest Wakil Hossain, alias Boga, a listed local gang leader and former joint convenor of the Chittagong Metropolitan Swechchhasebak Dal.
The incident, which saw police withdraw after a tense stand-off lasting nearly an hour, has sparked widespread political friction and led to the immediate transfer of the local police chief.
According to police sources, officers acted on intelligence derived from tracking technology indicating that Boga—a known follower of newly sworn-in Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain—was taking refuge inside the municipal building. Eyewitnesses reported that law enforcement officers surrounded City Hall around 9:00 pm before entering the premises to conduct a search.
The operation quickly hit a wall when Mayor Shahadat intervened, leading to heated exchanges with senior officers, including Deputy Commissioner (North) Hasan Mostafa Swapan of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP). Footage circulating on social media showed the mayor addressing police and reporters, questioning the purpose of the raid and demanding to know why media personnel were present.
“We did not invite anyone. Why have you come? A hundred people visit the City Corporation daily. You should leave,” the mayor was captured saying to the assembled journalists. Reporters at the scene also alleged that followers of the mayor harassed them as police vacated the building, with reports of physical scuffles and attempted phone seizures.
Addressing reporters the following morning at Rampura Ward, Dr Shahadat strongly denied allegations that he was harbouring a criminal, issuing an open challenge to his detractors. “If anyone can prove that Wakil Hossain came to the City Corporation, I will retire from politics immediately,” he declared.
The mayor further claimed that Boga was not a terrorist but an active participant in the July student-led uprising that ousted the previous regime. He launched a scathing attack on Khulshi Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC), Md Abdur Rahim, accusing him of retaining political biases from his tenure under the former Awami League administration.
Mayor Shahadat alleged that OC Rahim had recently overseen the torture of a suspect named Kamrul in connection with the murder of a youth named Hridoy. According to the mayor, Kamrul was severely beaten in custody to extract a forced confession implicating Boga and his brothers.
“Wakil’s two brothers came to me with complaints that Kamrul was tortured into naming them,” Dr Shahadat said, accusing local police of systematically harassing BNP members and affiliate organisation workers instead of targetting genuine political offenders.
Following the public row, senior CMP leadership acted swiftly. By Wednesday evening, CMP Commissioner Hasan Md Shaukat Ali signed an administrative order transferring OC Abdur Rahim out of Khulshi Police Station and reassigning him to the Chittagong Metropolitan Security Intelligence Branch (CTSB). The transfer came just one month and ten days into Rahim’s tenure at Khulshi.
Under the same administrative reshuffle, Akbar Shah Police Station OC Md Kamruজ্জামান was reassigned to head Khulshi Police Station, whilst Chawkbazar Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Md Nazer Hossain was promoted to lead Akbar Shah Police Station. CMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Administration and Finance) Wahidul Haq Chowdhury confirmed the changes, stating that the reassignments were executed immediately in the public interest.
Despite the administrative action, questions remain over the intelligence handling and political optics of the raid. CMP Assistant Commissioner (Media) Aminur Rashid maintained that police acted strictly on location data pointing to the area. However, law enforcement officials later admitted they could not definitively confirm whether Boga was inside the building at the time of
