Annee faces arrest order

A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants against BNP leader Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annee and three other activists after cancelling their bail in three vandalism cases.

Metropolitan Magistrate Tareq Mainul Islam Bhuiyan passed the order as they failed to appear before the court yesterday, the scheduled date for hearing on charge framing against them.

The three BNP activists are Nur Mohammad, Selim Uddin and Taleb Mahmud.

The cases were filed with Paltan and Shahjahanpur Police Stations for violence, vandalism, torching of vehicles and assaulting police during the opposition's agitation on March 2 and March 6 last year.

The court also deferred until September 3 the hearing on charge framing against BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 45 others in connection with the same cases.

Earlier in the day, lawyers for the accused, including Fakhrul, made submissions on charge framing hearing against the accused.

Several accused, including Annee, submitted separate petitions seeking adjournment of the hearing.

Fakhrul, Moudud Ahmed, Mirza Abbas along with 28 BNP leaders appeared before the court.

Of the accused, seven are absconding since the cases were filed against them.