A Dhaka court yesterday issued warrant for the arrest of 14 BNP-led 20-party alliance leaders including its Vice-Chairperson Selima Rahman in a case filed for an arson attack in the city’s Khilgaon area on January 30.
Metropolitan Magistrate Md Emddul Haque issued the arrest warrant after accepting the charges levelled against them.
The court issued the arrest warrant as they did not appear before the court during the yesterday’s hearing on the case filed with Khilgaon police station.
The court also directed the officer-in-charge of Khilgaon police station to submit its report by October 12 on the execution of the arrest warrant.
The accused include BNP Joint Secretary General Barkat Ullah Bulu, Chairperson Khaleda’s adviser journalist Shawkat Mahmud, her Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel and Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, former Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Azizul Bari Helal, Swechchhasebak Dal President Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel and Secretary Mir Sharafat Ali Safu.
Twenty four BNP-led 20-party alliance leaders including Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Amanullah Aman, MK Anwar and Shawkat are now in jail while nine others including Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas and Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel are on the run.
On June 27, Sub-Inspector of Khilgaon police station Billal Hossain, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet against 24 people.
According to the charge sheet, on January 30 miscreants set a bus of Great Truag Paribahan on fire on the Khilgaon Flyover in the city amid countrywide non-stop blockade sponsored by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.
Four people were badly burnt in the incident.
The charge sheet also said BNP central leaders provoked the accused to burn the vehicle.
BNP central leaders Rizvi, Aman, Barkat Ullah Bulu, Shimul Biswas and others were mentioned in the charge sheet as plotters.
Following the incident on January 30 Md Nazrul Islam, owner of Great Turag Paribahan, filed a case with Khilgaon police station against the accused.
