Attack on cops
900 BNP men sued
Attackers were intruders, claims party
UNB
Three cases were filed with Ramna and Shahbagh Police Stations against 900 BNP activists over alleged attack on law enforcers and snatching of two of their peers vandalising a prison van in front of the High Court area in the capital, reports UNB.
Inspector (investigation) Shafikul Islam filed a case on Tueday night with Ramna Police Station accusing more than 100 people.
Sub Inspector Champak Chakrabarty and Sub Inspector Rahidul Islam filed two cases with Shahbagh Police Station accusing 700/800 people.
In the cases, they brought several allegations, including obstructing police from discharging their duties, snatching accused and vandalising vehicles.
Earlier on Tuesday, BNP activists allegedly attacked on law enforcers and snatched away two of their peers vandalising a prison van in front of the High Court area in the capital yesterday afternoon.
Police detained 69 leaders and activists of the party from the scene.
They also broke two rifle butts of police when
law enforcers tried to resist the demonstrators, police said.
Police and witnesses said several hundred leaders and activists gathered around the High Court Mazar gate area in the morning as BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia was scheduled to appear before a court of Bakshibazar at noon for Zia Charitable graft case.
Police detained two BNP activists from the area and kept them inside a prison van under police guard.
When Khaleda Zia was returning her Gulshan
residence through the area after appearing the Bakshibazar court in the afternoon on Tuesday, leaders and activists started demonstrating and
at one stage, they attacked
on police and snatched away the two detained BNP activists vandalising the prison van, said
Maruf Hosain Sarder Deputy Commissioner (Ramna Division) of
Dhaka Metropolitan Police. The BNP yesterday claimed that its activists were not involved in Tuesdays attack on the police. It expressed suspicion that outsiders might be responsible for the incident around the High Court area.
We dont know the identities of the attackers. We suspect that outsiders were involved with the incident, said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
The BNP leader was speaking at a press conference at the partys central office at Naya Paltan. The event was organised to register protest against the mass arrest of party leaders and activists, including BNP standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, hours after Tuesdays incident.
Fakhrul accused the government of trying to tarnish the image of the BNP. He claimed his party was trying to do peaceful politics.
He termed the arrest of Goyeshwar Chandra Roy as an ominous sign, saying that law enforcers had not acknowledged the arrest of the party leader at night.
The government has arrested the activists at a time when people are waiting for a free, fair and peaceful election. Its been done to keep the BNP out of the election process, he noted. Fakhrul alleged that tsenior BNP leaders were being arrested with political motivation. No protest programme has yet been announced. But the government has been conducting drives to arrest our leaders and activists. Its destroying the stable situation in the country, he said.
The BNP leader expressed fear that the government would hold a lopsided election by keeping the party out of the election process.
He condemned the police drive at the residences of some BNP leaders, including its standing committee member Jamiruddin Sircar, vice-chairman Abdul Mannan and city BNP leader Habibunnabi Khan Sohel on Tuesday night.
He demanded immediate release of the arrested party leaders including Goyeshwar Chandra Roy.
A number of BNP leaders and activists had gathered around the High Court area on Tuesday to express solidarity with party chairperson Khaleda Zia, whom earlier on the day, had appeared before a Dhaka court at Bakshibazar in connection with the Zia Charitable Trust graft case.
