Despite Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s directive on quick completion of cases related to blockade violence, law enforcers are yet to submit charge sheets in most of the cases.
Following the instruction of the prime minister, the police headquarters asked its officials concerned to expedite the case procedures shortly, said a source in the police headquarters.
Nearly two thousand cases have so far been filed against leaders and activists of the BNP-led 20-party alliance for their involvement in violence during the three-month-long blockade and shutdowns.
The law enforcers have not only failed to submit charge sheets but investigation into most of those incidents have also remained pending.
According to information of the police headquarters, a total of 1,775 cases have so far been filed in between January 5 and March 30 across the country.
The law enforcers have only been able to submit charge sheets in only 125 cases. Of them, 43 were submitted to the courts in Dhaka Metropolitan Police area while 82 others in other metropolitan areas.
In almost all cases the accused numbering 16, 000 belong to BNP-Jamaat politics. But only 2,500 were named in the First Information Report while others are unnamed.
Of the cases filed so far, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was named as an aider and abettor in at least four cases filed for arson attacks on vehicles.
A high official of police headquarters requesting not to be named said they had not been able to complete investigations as police were busy tackling violence for a long period of time.
Soon after the political violence dwind- led there came the city corporation polls, he said.
In the DMP area maximum 436 cases were filed. Police have so far submitted charge sheets in 43 cases while the rest 393 are still under investigation.
When contacted Monirul Islam, Joint Commissioner of the DMP, said instruction had already been given to officials concerned to submit the charge sheets.
The lowest number of cases were filed in Rajshahi Metropolitan Police area where only 37 such cases were recorded.
Around 107 cases were filed in Chittagong Metropolitan Police area, 54 in Khulna, 34 in Sylhet and 23in Barisal metropolitan areas.
Apart from them, 356 cases were filed in Chittagong Range, 210 in Rajshahi Range, 203 in Dhaka Range, 74 in Barisal Range, 63 in Sylhet Range, 69 in Rangpur Range and 76 in Khulna Range.
And 33 cases were filed with railway police stations across the country for attacks on trains and damage to railway properties.
Deputy Inspector General of Railway Range Ruhul Amin said investigations had almost ended and he was hopeful about submission of charge sheets shortly.
Shafiqul Islam, DIG of Chittagong Range, echoed Ruhul Amain.
DIG of Rangpur Range Police Humayun Kabir, however, said they were going to submit the charge sheets within one month.
According to information from police sources, at least 52 people were killed in petrol bomb attacks in the three-month-long violence across the country while 281 more suffered injuries.
On top of that 21 people were killed and 549 injured being caught in violence like crude bomb attacks.
However, as the newspaper reports go, a total of 138 people were killed in the three-month-long violence. Of them, 77 were killed in petrol bomb attacks.
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, state minister for home, said directives had already given to concerned officials to complete the investigation into the incidents of violence.
