Bangladesh’s former prime minister Khaleda Zia charged with sabotage now

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been charged in yet another case.

Detectives yesterday pressed charges against Khaleda and 37 others, mostly her party men, in case for a subversive activity through a petrol bomb attack on a passenger bus in the capital's Jatrabari in January.

The attack -- one of many the country witnessed during the BNP-led three months' blockade -- killed one person and injured 30 others on the night of January 23. 

Earlier on May 6, detectives submitted two charge sheets -- one for murder and another for bomb blast -- against Khaleda and the other 37 people in another case filed over the same bomb attack.

Yesterday's charge sheet was submitted in the case filed under Special Powers Act while previous one was under Penal Code and Explosive Substance Act. 

This is the second time Khaleda, also a former prime minister, has been charged in a criminal case.

In addition, she is facing three other cases over recent blockade violence that claimed at least 95 lives, mostly in petrol and crude bombs attacks, and wreaked havoc on people's lives and economy. 

Khaleda also stands accused in five corruption cases and three defamation suits. 

According to the yesterday's charge sheet, Khaleda “masterminded” the arson attack on the passenger bus. She was not named as an accused in the First Information Report (FIR), which mentioned that the attack was carried out on her instructions.

The charge sheet showed Khaleda and 30 others as fugitives since they are not on bail.

BNP'S REACTION
Contacted, BNP standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman said that submitting the charge sheet might hampered developing relations between two parties.

He said the BNP withdrew the blockade and hartal and participated in the city corporation polls. But what the nation found in the polls? It was totally manipulated by the ruling party, said Mahbubur.

After holding this kind of polls, filing a new charge sheet will not bring any good to the country, said the BNP leader.      

THE CASE
A day after the January 23 attack, Jatrabari Police filed two cases against 68 BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami leaders. The cases were later transferred to the Detective Branch (DB) of Police.

Last evening, Zahedul Islam, a DB sub-inspector submitted the charge sheets to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka. 
The accused include BNP leaders MK Anwar, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Amanullah Aman, Barkatullah Bulu, Habibunnabi Khan Sohel, Mir Sarafat Ali Sapu, Azizul Bari Helal, Sultan Salauddin Tuku, former BNP lawmaker from Dhaka Salauddin Ahmed, Khaleda's advisors Khandker Mahbub Hossain and Shawkat Mahmud, her special assistant Shimul Biswas and press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan.

Seven of the accused, including Rizvi, are in jail.

Four arrestees -- Parvez, Sohag, Liton and Jony -- gave statements before magistrates on different dates admitting their involvement in the attack. The four said they were hired by some central and local BNP leaders to carry out the arson attack to create anarchy in the city, court sources said.

After submitting the charge sheets, Zahedul Islam, also the investigating officer of the case, appealed to the court to issue arrest warrants against the fugitives.

The court is expected to decide on accepting the charges and issuing the arrest orders on May 28.

The IO appealed to the court to drop charges against 31 people named in the FIR, including BNP Standing Committee Member Rafiqul Islam Mia and Vice-chairman Selima Rahman, as their involvement was not proved.

THREE MORE CASES 
Khaleda has been sued for “instigating” another arson attack on a vehicle at Chouddagram in Comilla. Eight passengers were killed in the incident in January.  

Besides, she is accused of masterminding February bus arson in Damodor, Khulna.

The BNP chief has been named as the prime suspect in the crude bomb attack on a rally of Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan outside her office at Gulshan in the capital.

All these cases are under investigation.