A total of 23,865 politically motivated harassment cases have so far been withdrawn, and the process to withdraw the remaining cases is currently underway, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md. Asaduzzaman told the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday.
Responding to a scripted question from opposition lawmaker Muhammad Ali Asgar (Pabna-3), he said the government does not have precise statistics on the number of harassment cases filed against leaders and activists of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami across the country.
The minister explained that political identity is not mentioned in the First Information Report (FIR) at the time of filing a case, making it difficult to determine such figures accurately.
However, citing information received from BNP’s central office, he said that from 2007 to January 11, 2025, a total of 142,983 false and harassment cases were filed against BNP leaders and activists.
“No official data is available regarding such cases filed against Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists during the same period,” he added.
The minister further said that after assuming office, the current government formed a four-member district-level committee on March 5, 2026, headed by the District Magistrate, to review and recommending for withdrawal of politically motivated cases.
The committee reviews applications for withdrawal along with FIRs, certified copies of charge sheets (where applicable), and opinions from Public Prosecutors (PPs).
“If a case is found to have been filed for political harassment, is not necessary in the public interest, and its continuation may harm the state, it recommends the case for withdrawal,” he added.
To facilitate the process, a six-member central committee, headed by the Law Minister, was formed on March 8, 2026, to examine district-level recommendations and take necessary actions regarding case withdrawals.
