Cases filed where no incident actually occurred are called “fictitious” cases. Earlier, in villages and small towns where there were disputes between neighbors, one party used to file false cases against the other. Such fake cases have now entered politics also.
The term ‘hypothetical case’ was heard a lot during the 2018 elections. I visited Cumilla, Tangail and some other places to observe the pre-poll situation. The ruling party was at the peak of its campaign. If opposition leaders or candidates tried to hold a rally, cases would be filed against them. Their houses were raided. If anyone was asked about the elections, everyone had the same answer, “The elections are over, there is no need to wait for December 30.” When the results of the elections are decided even before the elections take place, no one feels the need to go to the polling booth. It was the same in the 2018 elections also.
According to a report by Prothom Alo correspondent Asaduzzaman, ahead of the 2018 elections, police registered numerous cases across the country. In the three months (September–November) before that election, 697 cases were registered on charges of vandalism in Dhaka city alone. 575 cases were reported in September 2018 alone. These cases, registered under the Explosive Substances Act and the Special Powers Act, were then caught in the name of ‘fictitious cases’.
According to BNP leaders and workers, like before, this time too ‘fictitious’ cases are being registered with the aim of evicting them from their homes.