A Dhaka court on Saturday sent three of BNP's top leaders, an adviser and a special assistant to the party’s chairperson to jail in two cases filed for “attempting to kill law enforcers and provoking violence.”
The court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Joynob Begum scheduled November 14 for the remand hearing and bail petitions of the BNP leaders. The decision was made as the investigation officers could not place case documents.
Earlier in the day, police produced the five before the court seeking a 20-day remand for each, in two cases filed with Motijheel Police Station.
The leaders – BNP standing committee members Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Miah and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo and special assistant Shimul Biswas – were shown presented to the court on Saturday.
After hearing the prosecution, the defence and the judge directed the investigators to submit progress reports and other documents on the cases before the court.
Meanwhile, pro-BNP lawyers staged demonstrations on court premises; protesting the arrests and demanding their release when they were taken there at around 3:50pm in prison vans.
The lawyers were also chanting slogans in favour of the opposition-sponsored hartal that begins on Sunday.
Of the two cases, one was filed on November 5.
In his complaint, ASI AKM Azizul Haque said the five arrestees, along with 60-90 activists, blockaded a road in front of New Anar Bakery near Kamalapur Bazar on second day of the previous 60-hour hartal .
“When police tried to resist them, the opposition activists exploded three to four crude bombs in a bid to kill policemen. A number of policemen were injured in the incident,” the remand indictment presented by Investigation Officer SI Mizanur Rahman reads.
“There were witnesses and proofs that the arrestees planned the attack,” it said adding that the arreste-es should be grilled in remand to unearth the source of explosives used to kill innocent people and police.
It also said the arrestees provoked the government officers not to obey law by declaring the government illegal in different talk-shows and rallies.
In the other indictment SI Khandakar Zahid Ali alleged that the BNP leaders torched seven cars and blasted several cocktails in front of Motijheel Ideal School and College on September 24 from a procession which also blockaded the road.
The procession was brought to protest the pressing of charges against Chhatra Dal President Abdul Kader Bhuiyan Jewel and other leaders for hurling a bomb at the information minister’s residence. SI Humayun Kabir Hawlader filed the case on September 24.
On Friday Moudud, MK Anwar and Rafiqul were detained from in front of Hotel Sonargaon in the capital hours after the opposition called 72-hour hartal demanding a non-party polls-time government.
Around five hours later, law enforcers detained Abdul Awal Mintoo and Shimul Biswas from outside Khaleda’s Gulshan-2 home around 1:10am.
On Saturda, the political opposition extended its 72-hour shutdown, slated to begin at 6:00am on Sunday, by 12 hours in protest of the arrest of BNP leaders Friday night.
