Bangladesh: Attack on Cops: Charges against 148 opposition men accepted
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – A Dhaka court on Sunday took cognisance of the charges against 148 leaders and activists of the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance in a case filed with Paltan Police Station under the Speedy Trial Act.
The court fixed April 17 for charge framing against the accused.
After scrutinising the relevant documents, Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan took cognisance of the charges against the opposition men. All the 148 accused of the case were produced before the court today.
Defence lawyers submitted a petition seeking bail to all the accused opposition men. But the court turned down the petition and sent them to jail.
On Thursday, the court deferred until March 31 the hearing on the acceptance of charge-sheet against the opposition men. It deferred the hearing as the accused could not turn up at the court due to the 18-party alliance’s hartal.
Earlier, on March 24, Paltan police submitted the charge-sheet to the court against the 148 leaders and activists of the opposition alliance for assaulting police and creating panic among people near BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on March 11.
The top opposition leaders whose names were included in the charge-sheet are Amanullah Aman, opposition chief whip Zainal Abedin Farroque, Jagpa president Shafiul Alam Prodhan, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser Dr SM Zahid Hossain.
The names of six other opposition activists were dropped from the charge-sheet as their involvement was not proved during the investigation.
In the charge-sheet, it was alleged that the accused damaged a number of vehicles and blasted crude bombs during a programme of the opposition alliance near BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on the afternoon of March 11.
They also beat up policemen, hurled crude bombs on the law enforcers and tried to snatch arms from the policemen. When chased by police, the opposition activists entered the BNP central party office from where police recovered 8-10 cocktails in a raid, said the charge-sheet.
Paltan police on March 12 filed two cases against 154 leaders of the opposition alliance on charges of exploding bombs and preventing police from performing their duties.
On the day (Mar 11), police in a raid on BNP’s Nayapaltan central office arrested 185 of its leaders and workers, including acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
The law enforcers launched the drive in the BNP office after 8-10 crude bombs went off in front of the BNP central office while Fakhrul was addressing a rally there.
Three of the arrested leaders -- Mirza Fakhrul, Sadek Hossain Khoka and Altaf Hossain Chowdhury -- were released the following day.
On March 20, two courts in Dhaka placed 151 leaders of the opposition alliance on an eight-day police remand in the two cases.
The court fixed April 17 for charge framing against the accused.
After scrutinising the relevant documents, Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan took cognisance of the charges against the opposition men. All the 148 accused of the case were produced before the court today.
Defence lawyers submitted a petition seeking bail to all the accused opposition men. But the court turned down the petition and sent them to jail.
On Thursday, the court deferred until March 31 the hearing on the acceptance of charge-sheet against the opposition men. It deferred the hearing as the accused could not turn up at the court due to the 18-party alliance’s hartal.
Earlier, on March 24, Paltan police submitted the charge-sheet to the court against the 148 leaders and activists of the opposition alliance for assaulting police and creating panic among people near BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on March 11.
The top opposition leaders whose names were included in the charge-sheet are Amanullah Aman, opposition chief whip Zainal Abedin Farroque, Jagpa president Shafiul Alam Prodhan, BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser Dr SM Zahid Hossain.
The names of six other opposition activists were dropped from the charge-sheet as their involvement was not proved during the investigation.
In the charge-sheet, it was alleged that the accused damaged a number of vehicles and blasted crude bombs during a programme of the opposition alliance near BNP’s Nayapaltan central office on the afternoon of March 11.
They also beat up policemen, hurled crude bombs on the law enforcers and tried to snatch arms from the policemen. When chased by police, the opposition activists entered the BNP central party office from where police recovered 8-10 cocktails in a raid, said the charge-sheet.
Paltan police on March 12 filed two cases against 154 leaders of the opposition alliance on charges of exploding bombs and preventing police from performing their duties.
On the day (Mar 11), police in a raid on BNP’s Nayapaltan central office arrested 185 of its leaders and workers, including acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
The law enforcers launched the drive in the BNP office after 8-10 crude bombs went off in front of the BNP central office while Fakhrul was addressing a rally there.
Three of the arrested leaders -- Mirza Fakhrul, Sadek Hossain Khoka and Altaf Hossain Chowdhury -- were released the following day.
On March 20, two courts in Dhaka placed 151 leaders of the opposition alliance on an eight-day police remand in the two cases.
Courtesy: UNB Connect
