Clash of two, one gets sued

“Was there any Chhatra League activist during the clash?” -- this was the response Officer-in-Charge Azizul Haq of Chawkbazar Police Station came up with when asked why no Chhatra League activist was accused in a case filed for the Bakshibazar violence.

Police filed two cases in connection with Wednesday's incident, and 76 pro-BNP men and 30 to 40 unnamed people were accused in the one filed with Chawkbazar Police Station.

Around 200 pro-Awami League BCL men equipped with iron rods and sticks swooped on BNP activists who were demonstrating around the makeshift court in Bakshibazar, before party chief Khaleda Zia's appearance there in two graft cases.

When this correspondent mentioned the media reports and photos showing BCL men attacking the BNP gathering, OC Azizul said they accused only those "who had hurled brick bats towards on-duty policemen, injuring some of them".

Interestingly, the OC was on the scene during the violence and saw the whole incident.

Earlier, this paper contacted Mofiz Uddin Ahmed, deputy commissioner (Lalbagh division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, over the phone and sought his comments on this.

“Talk to the concerned OC,” said the DC, avoiding a direct answer.

Another case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station accusing 23 BNP men and 30 to 40 unnamed persons. So, here too the BCL men were exempted.

Enraged by the attack on Wednesday, some pro-BNP activists vandalised vehicles carrying patients and set fire to a lawmaker's car in front of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

This case was filed for obstructing police work during the vandalism in front of the DMCH, said Habil Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police Station.

Wishing anonymity, sources at the DMP said a case for political violence is filed upon the directives of the office of the deputy commissioner of police concerned. The DC office receives instructions from the DMP headquarters beforehand.

Joint convener of the BNP's Dhaka City unit Abdul Awal Mintoo and member secretary Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, JCD president Rajib Ahsan and general secretary Akramul Hasan, and former JCD president Azizul Bari Helal and former general secretary Habibur Rashid Habib are some of the accused in the cases, according to police officials.

Thirteen pro-BNP activists detained during the clash were shown arrested in the cases.