DHAKA NEWS
Detectives yesterday pressed charges against 45 leaders and activists of BNP-led 18-party alliance, including BNP acting secretary general, for torching a vehicle near Prime Minister's Office (PMO) during April 29 shutdown.
Inspector of the Detective Branch of Police Nurul Amin, also the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka yesterday around 10:45am.
The court will decide on May 13 whether it will take into cognisance the charges brought against the accused.
BNP, however, termed the cases and charge sheet “false and politically motivated” and asked the government to withdraw both without any delay.
On April 29, two cases had been filed with Tejgaon and Ramna police stations against leaders and activists of 18-party alliance in connection with torching a bus in front of the PMO and a blast at the secretariat on that day.
“The government has filed the cases and charge sheet only to divert public attention from the ongoing anti-government movement but they won't succeed,” said BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain while addressing a human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club.
Talking to , defence counsel Masud Ahmed Talukder said the court would not be able to give any order on the charge sheet on May 13, as the third bench of the High Court was yet to pass any order on the dissenting orders of the division bench regarding bail of the 30 accused in the two cases.
Of the accused, Mohammad Sohel alias Sohan Miah, conductor of the bus torched; Mohammad Jasim Uddin and Manik Ratan, helpers of the vehicle; Mohammad Kamruzzaman Ratan, former student leader; Mohammad Ismail Khan Shahin, president of Titumir College unit Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD);
Mohammad Mannan Hossain Shahin, Swechchhasebak Dal president of Mohammadpur Police Station area; and BNP joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed were earlier arrested and sent to jail.
Another accused in the arson case Mahbub Uddin Khokon got bail on May 9 on his surrender before a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate's court till May 20.
The IO yesterday showed BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 36 others as fugitives in the court since he [the IO] did not receive the copies of their bail order. The IO also sought issuance of arrest warrant against them and an order to attach their moveable property.
Meanwhile, the IO dropped the name of Chhatra Shibir General Secretary Abdur Jabbar as his full address was not found during investigation. He showed 18 people, including the owner and the driver of the vehicle torched as prosecution witnesses.
If the charges are proved, the minimum punishment for arson is two years' rigorous imprisonment while the maximum is five years' rigorous imprisonment.
BACKGROUND
Tejgaon police filed a case against a number of leaders and workers of 18-party alliance, including Mirza Fakhrul, Mirza Abbas and Oli Ahmed, hours after a vehicle was set ablaze near the PMO during hartal hours on April 29.
The same day, Ramna police filed another case against top leaders of the alliance for exploding a bomb at the Bangladesh Secretariat that day.
After the cases were filed, the top BNP leaders accused went into hiding and turned up at the High Court on May 7 to seek bail.
That day, the HC delivered dissenting orders on the bail petitions filed by 30 leaders accused in the two cases.
Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, senor judge of the bench, granted anticipatory bail to the accused till the submission of police reports on the cases. He issued seven separate rules upon the government to explain in four weeks as to why the petitioners should not be granted regular bail.
Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder, the other judge, however, directed the politicians accused to surrender before the magistrate's court concerned within seven days and ordered law enforcers not to harass or arrest them during the period.
Additional Attorney General MK Rahman said the two judges would now send the bail petitions along with their orders to Chief Justice Muzammel Hossain. The chief justice will then forward the petitions to a third HC bench for disposal, he added.
THE CHARGE-SHEETED ACCUSED
BNP leaders Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, MK Anwar, Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Mirza Abbas, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Amanullah Aman, Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, AKM Fazlul Haque Milon, Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anne, Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Lutfor Rahman and Nabi Solaiman; JCD President Sultan Salauddin Tuku; Liberal
Democratic Party President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed; Jamaat-e-Islami acting Ameer Maqbul Ahmad; BJP President Andalib Rahman Partha; Swechchhasebak Dal President Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel; Jagpa President Shafiul Alam Pradhan and Pragatishil Ganotantrik Shakti Chairman Sheikh Shawkat Hossain Nilu.
Mohammad Sohel alias Sohan Miah, conductor of the bus torched; Mohammad Jasim Uddin and Manik Ratan, helpers of the vehicle.
The other charge-sheeted accused are, BNP leader Nazimuddin Alam; Swechchhasebak Dal General Secretary Mir Sharafat Ali Safu; JCD General Secretary Amirul Islam Khan Alim; JCD Organising Secretary
Anisur Rahman Khokon; Dhaka South Juba Dal President SM Jahangir Hossain Sarder; its General Secretary Rafiqul Islam alias Mojnu; Swechchhasebak Dal Convenor Yeasin Ali; its general Secretary Saiful Islam Nirob; DU unit JCD Convenor Abdul Matin; its Joint Convenor Obaidul Haque Nasir; Dhaka South JCD general Secretary Habibur Rashid; Dhaka North JCD General Secretary Kamal Anwar Ahmed; former
Dhaka City Corporation ward councillors Kazi Abul Bashar, Yunus Mridha and Anwaruzzaman alias Anwar; former student leader Mohammad Kamruzzaman Ratan; president of Titumir College unit JCD Mohammad Ismail Khan Shahin; Swechchhasebak Dal president of Mohammadpur Police Station area Mohammad Mannan Hossain Shahin and Chhatra Shibir leaders Nurul Islam Bulbul and Delwar Hossain Sayedee.
No comments:
Post a Comment