Activists of BNP and its associate bodies got embroiled in clashes with police yesterday after party Chairperson Khaleda Zia had appeared in the Special Judge Court 3 in the capital’s Bakshibazar area.
The Special Judge Court 3 of Judge Basudev Roy is hearing the Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust graft cases. The court was set up on the Aliya Madrasa ground. Khaleda reached there at 1:05pm and left 40 minutes later.
The court set September 10 for recording deposition of the complainant in response to two petitions filed by the defence counsel seeking adjournment of recording deposition of the prosecution witness.
In one of the petitions, defence counsel Taherul Islam Towhid said they had earlier submitted four leave to appeal petitions with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the legality of four High Court orders, which were pending for hearing. He sought an adjournment order until the final hearing of the apex court took place.
On the other hand, Mosharraf Hossain Kajol petitioned for recording deposition Harun-ur-Rashid, the complainant of the two cases and also a deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Commission.
Additional police were deployed in and around the area since morning and law enforcers closed traffic movement on the street between Chawkbazar and Bakhsibazar.
BNP activists had gathered on the street leading to the court since morning. Senior pro-BNP lawyers as well as senior party leaders thronged the court premises when Khaleda arrived there.
BNP activists wanted to enter the court after Khaleda but police prevented them, prompting a clash.
Witnesses said police charged baton to disperse the BNP men, who hurled brick chips and stones at the law enforcers.
The 45-minute clash, which left several people injured including three policemen, spread to Bakshibazar and Badrunnessa College areas. Chased by police, BNP activists entered the Buet campus but were again chased by Chhatra League activists.
BNP activists burnt wood on the street, and vandalised some vehicles and roadside makeshift stalls.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mehedi Hasan said they did not allow all the BNP activists inside the court premises for the sake of security.
“The BNP men made the attack deliberately. We tried not to create any untoward situation,” he said.
Of the nine accused in the cases, Khaleda and four others are now on bail. BNP Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman is also on bail in the Zia Orphanage Trust case and his lawyer represented him in his absence. The three others are on the run.
The ACC in July 2009 filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case against Khaleda, Tarique and four others for embezzling over Tk2.1 crore by forming the “fake” trust.
The four were former BNP lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque, businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed, Kamal Uddin Siddiqui and Momenur Rahman, nephew of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman. On August 8, 2011, the commission filed the Zia Charitable Trust graft case against Khaleda and three others for abusing power while setting up the charity.
The three were Harris Chowdhury, Khaleda’s former political secretary, Ziaul Islam Munna, assistant private secretary of Harris, and Monirul Islam Khan, assistant private secretary of former Dhaka City Corporation mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.
Harris, Momenur and Kamal are absconding.