Case against home minister rejected

A Dhaka Court yesterday dismissed an attempt-to-murder case against 400 people, including the home minister and her deputy, within a couple of hours into its filing.
Meanwhile, the High Court yesterday granted anticipatory bail to Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque and BNP lawmaker Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papia for three months in a criminal case filed by police.
Metropolitan Magistrate Harun-Or-Rashid dismissed the attempt-to-murder case finding “no elements” to take into cognisance the charges against the accused.
Home Minister Sahara Khatun, State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku, Inspector General of Police Hasan Mahmud Khandker and DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed were among the accused.
ANM Abed Raja, executive committee member of BNP's Kulaura unit of Moulvibazar, filed the case yesterday morning.
In his complaint, Abed Raja alleged that police assaulted him while he was holding peaceful rallies on July 4 and during hartal on June 13 in front of BNP central office in the capital's Naya Paltan.
He also said on directives from the home minister, IGP, DMP commissioner and some high officials in police, Inspector Mohammad Siraj of Paltan Police Station along with other police forces assaulted him and injured him badly.
The complainant appealed to the court to issue arrest warrants against the accused.
Meanwhile, besides granting anticipatory bail to Farroque, the HC bench of Justice Nozrul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Anwarul Haque also expressed hope that the government would not bar Farroque from going abroad for treatment.
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police on July 6 filed the case on charge of obstructing law enforcers from carrying out their duties that day, the first day of nationwide 48-hour hartal enforced by BNP-led four-party alliance.
The court passed the bail order following a joint bail petition filed by Farroque and Papia on July 11.
In the petition, Farroque sought that the court directs the government not to resist him from going abroad on medical grounds.
Gulshan police yesterday morning produced the opposition chief whip before the court as per an HC directive given on July 11. He was brought by an ambulance.
The HC issued the directive Monday, after Farroque's counsels informed the court that police had obstructed him at United Hospital in the capital to keep him from appearing before the court.
Farroque has been undergoing treatment at the hospital after he was assaulted by police at one stage of an altercation with law enforcers at Manik Mia Avenue in the capital on July 6.
Barrister Moudud Ahmed appeared for the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Ullah Kislu opposed the bail petition.