Two cases have been filed against 27 leaders and activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and more than 200 others for their alleged involvement in the explosion of cocktails targeting Jubo League and Chhatra League leaders in front of the Awami League office in Gazipur's Kaliakair upazila and in Kaliganj.
In this connection, police arrested a municipal BNP leader and councillor and sent him to jail on Wednesday.
Two cases were filed under the Explosive Substances Act on Tuesday.
Abdul Mannan Sheikh, the office assistant of the Awami League office and the plaintiff in the case, stated that on Monday night, hundreds of BNP activists took out a procession from the Kalampur area of the Kaliakoir municipality.
Bricks were thrown at the Awami League party office when the procession came in front of the office in Kaliakoir in Chandra area. At one point, there were around 14-15 cocktail explosions. When the police reached the spot after receiving the news, the BNP activists ran away.
Kaliakoir police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Akabr Ali Khan said that after the filing of the case, the police conducted a raid at night and arrested Kaliakoir Municipal BNP General Secretary and Ward No 8 Councillor Sarwar Hossain Akul. He was sent to jail by the court at about 11:30am on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Kaliganj Municipal Jubo League General Secretary Rezaur Rahman Ashrafi Khokon filed a case under the Explosives Act over the attack targeting Jubo League and Chhatra League leaders in Kaliganj.
He said on Monday night when 8-10 activists of Awami League and Jubo League were returning from Kaliganj market after watching the World Cup football match, 16 named BNP activists and their unknown 90 accomplices blocked and beat them.
At one point the AL activists were targeted by the cocktail explosion. The attackers ran away when Kaliganj police reached the spot upon receiving the information. Police recovered two unexploded cocktails and parts of an exploded cocktail from the spot, added Khokon.
Kaliakair Upazila BNP President Muhammad Helal Uddin and General Secretary Parvez Ahmed said that to prevent party leaders and activists from participating in the BNP mass meeting in Dhaka on December 10, the leaders and activists of the ruling party were filing cases against the leaders and activists of BNP nationwide.
Kaliganj Police Station Inspector (Investigation) Khandkar Sohel Rana said that the police operation to arrest one of the accused named Ejahar is ongoing.