DMP in overdrive over 25 cases
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police Headquarters has taken an initiative to revive 25 criminal cases, filed against top BNP leaders, the proceedings of which were stayed by the High Court at different times in the past decade.
The cases were filed in 2013 and 2015, the years when there was widespread violence, including arson attacks on public buses, during anti-government protests that left scores of people dead.
The accused in the cases include BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and other top leaders like Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Amanullah Aman, Barkatullah Bulu, Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie, Zainul Abdin Farroque, Salahuddin Ahmed and Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel.
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, currently in prison, is also an accused in one of these cases.
The DMP Headquarters also aims to reopen investigations into cases which have been halted for years.
In a letter sent on May 16, 2023, the DMP Headquarters directed all the deputy commissioners of police under the DMP to instruct the investigation officers of these cases to appeal to the HC to vacate the stay orders. The letter also told the DCs to urgently send a copy of the appeals to the DMP Headquarters.
The cases against the top BNP leaders were filed with police stations under the DMP area.
Biplob Bijoy Talukder, joint commissioner (Crime) of DMP, said, "We have taken an initiative to activate the cases that are currently stayed by the High Court. In addition, some investigations have stalled over the years. We have decided to revive them as well."
Talking to The Daily Star, he said this is an official procedure and has nothing to do with the current political situation.
Khaleda Zia, who has stayed indoors since 2020 following an executive order by the government, is named in two of these cases.
Khaleda is implicated in as many as 36 cases, of which 28 have been stayed.
Mirza Fakhrul is accused in six of the cases that the DMP aims to revive. Around 92 cases were filed against Fakhrul across the country in the last 10 years.
Mirza Abbas is accused in six of these cases while Gayeshwar is accused in four.
One of the cases was filed against 16 BNP leaders by Ramna Police Station under the explosives act on March 3, 2013. The accused included Mirza Fakhrul and Gayeshwar.
Just the day before, on March 2, street violence killed five people and the Silk City express train between Dhaka and Rajshahi was set ablaze. Meanwhile, police clashed with a procession led by Mirza Fakhrul in Dhaka on the same day and four vehicles were torched in the violence that ensued.
The day the Ramna Police filed the case, a cop was brutally attacked in Jhenidah. His eyes were gouged out before he was hacked to death.
Two of these cases, filed on January 24, 2013 under the explosives act by Jatrabari Police Station, names 90 people with Khaleda Zia as the prime accused.
The day before, on January 23, a bus was torched using petrol bombs in Jatrabari. The arson attack left 28 civilians with severe burns. Several of them succumbed to their injuries a few days later.
This was on the 18th day of the indefinite blockade enforced by the BNP-led alliance.
Another case was filed on March 2, 2013, against the top leaders of BNP for "destroying law and order".
The day before, on March 1, the International Crimes Tribunal had delivered its maiden verdict by sentencing Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to death. Following the announcement of the verdict, violence erupted across the country and as many as 33 people were killed in the nationwide mayhem. Four policemen were also killed on the day.
Of the 25 cases, 15 were filed in 2013 and 10 in 2015. Of them, five were filed with Paltan Police Station, four each with Jatrabari and Mugda police stations, three with Ramna Police Station, two each with Motijheel and Khilgaon police stations, and one each with Badda, Uttara (West), Sabujbagh, Demra and Shajahanpur police stations.
According to BNP office sources, party leaders and activists have been implicated in around 1.12 lakh cases across the country since 2009 and the total number of accused in those cases are around 39.78 lakh. Besides, the number of the anonymous accused is more than that of the accused. Of the total cases, 2,830 were filed under the Digital Security Act.
Very recently, the police headquarters wrote to superintendents of police (SPs) for "status updates" on the cases under the charges of arson, killing of police members, crimes against humanity, and other serious crimes since 2013.