Hafiz, Khokon get bail hrs after arrest

A Dhaka court today granted bail for BNP Vice Chairman Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed and Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokon, hours after detectives arrested them over charges of vandalism and police assault during Tuesday’s clash near High Court.

Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Sayeed passed the order after DB Inspector Delwar Hossain produced them before the court and sought a 10-day remand.

Earlier in the day, a team of detective branch of police arrested them on their way to the High Court for seeking anticipatory bail.

Meanwhile, the High Court today granted anticipatory bail to four BNP leaders including its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir for eight weeks in the same case.

The HC, however, ordered them to surrender to the trial court concerned within the time.

The bench of Justice Jahangir Hossain and Justice Md Riaz Uddin Khan came up with the orders after hearing two separate petitions filed by the BNP leaders seeking bail in the case.

Other three accused BNP leaders are its Standing Committee Members Mirza Abbsa and Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, and Legal Affairs Secretary Barrister Kayser Kamal.

The four accused appeared before the HC bench during the bail hearing.

Police filed the case filed with Shahbagh Police Station after two policemen were injured in a clash between a group of BNP leaders and activists and police while they were staging a demonstration on Tuesday near the Supreme Court premises seeking party chief Khaleda Zia's release.

A number of vehicles were also vandalised during the clash.

Advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain, Advocate Zainul Abedin, Barrister AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Advocate Kamrul Islam Sahal and Barrister Ruhul Quddus Kazal appeared for the accused petitioners, while Deputy Attorney General Harunur Rashid represented the state.

 Besides, Mokbul Hossain, former general secretary of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Hawkers’ Dal was also granted bail hours after law enforcers arrested.