Bangladesh’s SC says political leaders to shoulder responsibility for violence

The Supreme Court yesterday said those who had enforced agitation programmes must shoulder the responsibility for violence and criminal activities that took place during the programmes.

It came up with the observation while hearing the petitions that challenge the High Court orders granting bail to BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in three cases filed for vandalism and arson.

Fakhrul was named an accused in the cases on charges of provoking subversive activities.

Around 95 people were killed and 1,417 others injured across the country due to violence, vandalism and arson attacks during hartals and blockades enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance this year. 

When Fakhrul's lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain was placing arguments yesterday, the Appellate Division told him there was no violence or arson attack in the country now, since there was no agitation programmes.

As vandalism and subversive activities took place during their agitation programmes, those who called the programmes couldn't avoid the responsibility, said the four-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

Khandker Mahbub, also a BNP leader, told the court that the BNP chairperson had several times claimed that their movements had been run peacefully, and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir had not made any provoking statement. 

Killings and disappearances were happening in the country, and the government had to take the responsibility for such incidents, he argued.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam opposed Fakhrul's bail, saying that people were killed and injured and properties damaged after the political programmes had been enforced.

The political leaders who called such programmes couldn't be exempted, he argued.

After concluding the hearing, the SC fixed July 5 for passing orders on the petitions filed by the government, seeking stays on the HC orders that granted bail to Fakhrul.

Investigation into the charges might be hampered if Fakhrul got bail, the government argued in the petitions.

On June 21, the HC granted him bail in the cases filed with Paltan police on January 4, 5 and 7 under the Explosive Substances Act.