2018 violence case: 28 BNP leaders, activists indicted
A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against 28 leaders and activists of BNP, including its Publicity Secretary Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, in a 2018 violence case.
BNP joint secretary generals Khairul Kabir Khokon and Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel, Jubo Dal's former president Saiful Alam Nirob and BNP's Dhaka south city member secretary Rafiqul Alam Majnu are among the accused.
Annie, Khokon, Nirob and Majnu, now in jail, and 14 others, now on bail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Dhaka metropolitan Magistrate Md Ali Haider read out the charges.
The court set December 6 for starting the trial.
Among the accused, Sohel, BNP's volunteer affairs secretary Mir Sarafat Ali Safu, and eight others are on the run.
According to the case statement, a group of leaders and activists of BNP and its front organisations gathered in front of Hotel Bakshi Limited at Fakirapool in the capital's Paltan area around 1:45pm on February 10 of 2018 to protest the conviction of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.
They blasted crude bombs, vandalised vehicles, assaulted law enforcers and prevented them from discharging their duties.
Following the incident, police filed a case with Paltan Model Police Station.
In January 2021, police pressed charges against 28 people.
DUDU, SWAPAN REMANDED
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury yesterday placed BNP Vice Chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu and its media cell convener Zahir Uddin Swapan on a two-day remand each in a case filed over snatching a police weapon and vandalising the Muktijuddha Museum of Razarbagh Police Lines during a clash between BNP and police on October 28.
He passed the order after investigation officer Md Abdul Hye, an inspector of Detective Branch of police, produced Dudu and Swapan before the court with a five-day remand prayer for each.
On November 6, Dudu was arrested at Dhaka's Cantonment area in connection with another case filed with Ramna Police Station over vandalising the chief justice's residence during BNP-police clash on October 28. On November 3, Swapan was arrested from Gulshan in connection with a case filed over the death of a constable during the same clash.