Police yesterday arrested a BNP leader in a case filed for launching an attack on the then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina at Kolaroa upazila in Satkhira 12 years back.
Accused Rabiul Islam was arrested from his home around 10am on Wednesday, said Kolaroa police station Officer-in-Charge Masud Karim told reporters.
Kolaroa Upazila BNP unit Joint Secretary Rabiul is the current chairman of Jugekhali Union Parishad.
On August 30, 2002, assailants fired bullets at Hasina near Satkhira’s Kolaroa upzila while the Awami League chief was on her way to visit the wife of a freedom fighter, a gangrape victim in the district from Jessore.
Hasina, now the prime minister, survived the attack but some others who were in her convoy were injured in the case. Several journalists were also assaulted during the attack.
The then BNP MP Habibul Islam Habib allegedly led the attack along with a gang of leaders and activists of the party’s youth wing Juba Dal and student wing Chhatra Dal.
Former general secretary of Kolaroa Upazila Awami League Md Moslem Uddin went to file a case with Kolaroa police station, but they did not accept it.
He then filed the case with Satkhira judicial magistrate court in this connection, naming the then BNP MP Habibul Islam Habib as an accused.
The court ordered the Kolaroa police to investigate the case. Police submitted their report on it on December 25, 2003, claiming that the accusations cited in the case were not true.
Challenging the report, the plaintiff filed a no-confidence petition, which was dismissed by the court. Later, the plaintiff filed a revision petition with the High Court.
On July 28, 2013, the High Court passed an order directing the police to reconsider the case and conduct a fresh investigation in the case.
In a follow-up to the order, the Satkhira chief judicial magistrate court ordered the Kolaroa police station to take action against those who attacked Hasina’s convoy, mainly targetting her in 2002.