27 BNP leaders face arrest in arson case
Court orders police to submit report on execution of warrant by July 18
A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrant against BNP chairperson's personal assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas and 26 others for their alleged involvement in a petrol bomb attack on a bus in the capital's Jatrabari last year.
After accepting charges against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and 37 others including the 27 accused, Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court issued the arrest warrant.
One person was killed and 30 others were injured in the attack in the area on the night of January 23 in 2015.
The court directed the investigation officer of Jatrabari police to submit by July 18 a report on execution of the arrest warrant.
The other accused facing the arrest warrant include BNP leaders Barkatullah Bulu, Habibunnabi Khan Sohel, Mir Sarafat Ali Safu, Azizul Bari Helal, Sultan Salauddin Tuku, former BNP lawmaker from Dhaka Salauddin Ahmed and Khaleda's press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan.
Of the accused, BNP leaders MK Anwar, Amanullah Aman, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Khaleda's adviser Khandker Mahbub Hossain and three others are now on bail while her adviser Shawkat Mahmud and three others
are in jail.
A day after the January 23 attack, Jatrabari police filed two cases against 68 BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami leaders – one for murder and the other under the Explosives Substances Act. The cases were later transferred to detective branch (DB) of police.
Earlier, in May last year, DB submitted two charge sheets in this connection against Khaleda and 37 others.
According to the charge sheets, the BNP chief was implicated for masterminding the attack.