A Dhaka court has acquitted eight people, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, in a case involving the burning and vandalism of a Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) garbage truck.
The verdict was delivered by Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ziadur Rahman on Wednesday.
Among the other acquitted individuals are Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dhaka Metropolitan South Secretary Muhammad Shafiqul Islam Masud, former Jubo Dal president Saiful Alam Nirab, BNP Information and Research Secretary Azizul Bari Helal, and BNP members Moazzem Hossain Babu, Kazi Rezaul Haque Babu, and Khandaker Enamul Haque Enam.
Mirza Fakhrul's lawyer, Syed Zainul Abedin Mejbah, confirmed the acquittal, adding that the case had been pending for a long time due to the absence of witnesses. As a result, the judge acquitted the accused.
The case stemmed from an incident on December 9, 2012, when 200-250 BNP leaders and activists, led by Mirza Fakhrul and Rizvi, reportedly blocked Mintu Road in Paltan, Dhaka, wielding sticks. During the protest, a DSCC garbage truck was vandalized, and an explosion occurred.
The driver of the garbage truck, Md Aynal, filed the case as the complainant.
On October 23, 2017, Detective Branch (DB) Sub-Inspector Anwar Hossain Khan, the investigating officer, submitted the charge sheet to the court. Subsequently, on September 3, the court framed charges against the accused.
