Blasts at Secretariat, Burning Bus near PMO Fakhrul, Goyeshwar, Khoka among top BNP leaders sued

 Two cases have been filed against Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other stalwarts of BNP and 18-party alliance in connection with arson attacks on vehicles and bomb explosions at two strategic points in the capital during Sunday’s opposition hartal.

Imam Hossain, Deputy Commissioner of DMP Tejgaon zone, filed a case against BNP acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 43 others under the Speedy Trial Act on Sunday midnight on a charge of their involvement in torching a bus near the Prime Minister’s office.

The other accused include BNP joint secretary-general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anny MP and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed MP.

Besides, sub-inspector Herendra Nath Pramanik filed another case with Shahbagh police station against Mirza Fakhrul and 27 others in connection with twin bomb blasts at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

The other accused include BNP leaders ASM Hannan Shah, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anny, Amanullah Aman, Abdus Salam and LDP President Oli Ahmed.

Meanwhile, law enforcers launched a massive hunt for BNP leaders and activists accused in the cases. Most of them ducked the police hunt.

Four BNP leaders, including Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Kamruzzaman Ratan and Rehena Aktar Ranu, were arrested after police filed the cases, Deputy Commissioner Imam Hossain said.

Police picked up Rizvi from city’s Kakrail area at 8:30pm Monday while he was retuning to his residence by a car after announcing the next action programme at the end of second day’s hartal in the latest spell.

Earlier on Sunday night, police picked up the other three from Mouchak area. They were shown arrested in connection with bomb blasts at the Secretariat.

Nur-e-Jannat, wife of Kamruzzaman Ratan, told journalists that her husband became victim of “state conspiracy”. Her husband has not been involved in politics for over 12 years, she added.

For only taking part in a talk show on a television channel on Sunday night, he was implicated in arson attack-and bomb-explosion cases, she alleged.

Meanwhile, Ratan was placed on a three-day remand Monday while Ranu was sent to jail on grounds of her illness.

Police produced them before the chief metropolitan magistrate’s court on Monday afternoon, seeking a seven-day remand. The court granted three days’ remand for Ratan and ordered Ranu into jail.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (media cell) Masudur Rahman said detective police arrested the two in connection with Sunday’s vandalism, arson attacks and bomb explosions.

“We have already handed over the detained leaders to Shahbagh police,” the ADC added.

Police also raided the residence of Mirza Fakhrul in city’s Uttara area early Monday. During the raid, he was not in, police said.

Deputy Commissioner of Uttara zone Nisarul Arief said police raided the house of the BNP leader to arrest him in connection with a case filed with Tejgaon police station. But police did not find him there, he added.

Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain on Monday turned down the main opposition lawyers’ plea to constitute a special High Court bench to hear the bail petitions for top five BNP leaders.

Moudud Ahmed, a BNP standing committee member, said this to journalists after a meeting with the chief justice at his Supreme Court office.

A delegation of pro-BNP lawyers, led by Moudud Ahmed and Supreme Court Bar Association President Zainul Abedin, met the chief justice.

The Supreme Court asked them to move to a regular bench of the HC division for the bail of acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandker Mosharraf Hossain and MK Anwar, Dhaka city convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka and joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.