The five arrested BNP leaders were sent to jail on Saturday after a Dhaka court adjourned the hearing of their bail petitions till November 14. The court also postponed hearing on the remand petitions of the investigating officers, till date. The BNP leaders were arrested on Friday night for their alleged involvement in “attempting to kill policemen and creating violence in the capital”. After they were produced before the chief metropolitan magistrate (CMM) court, police sought 20 days’ remand for each of them in two cases.
In her order, CMM Joynob Begum said that the investigation officers of the two cases could not place the case dockets and documents, before the court during the hearing.
Hence, the court adjourned the hearing on the petitions till November 14, the judge said. It also directed the authorities concerned to provide them proper treatment at home and abroad, if needed.
The five top BNP leaders were charged in two separate cases filed by Motijheel police station, and the investigating officers produced them before the chief metropolitan magistrate court in Dhaka seeking a 20-day police remand, 10 days for each case.
The arrested five BNP leaders — BNP standing committee members barrister Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Miah, adviser of BNP chairperson Abdul Awal Mintoo, and special assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas — were produced before the court at around 3.20pm.
During the hearing, barrister Rafique-ul Huq, counsel for the BNP leaders, told the court that the BNP leaders were shown arrested in two cases, with an ill-motive to harass them politically.
“Their names were not included in the First Information Report (FIR) of the cases. But, the names of the arrested BNP leaders were included later only to harass them politically,” he added.
Opposing his submission, chief public prosecutor Abu Ali told the court that the BNP leaders were involved in vandalising vehicles and killing people, by calling hartals across the country. They should be placed on remand to find out their future plans, so that the law enforcers could thwart their plans and ensure people’s safety.
Later, the court adjourned the hearing on the remand prayers and directed the law enforcers to send them to jail.
After the court order, advocate Khandker Mahbub Hossain, another counsel for the BNP leaders, told reporters that the government could not accept the spontaneous public support towards the two phases of nationwide hartals enforced to uphold the caretaker government system to oversee the next polls.
“Now, the government is trying to stifle the opposition by arresting its leaders and torturing them on flimsy grounds,” he added.
Of the two cases implicating the BNP leaders, one was filed by SI?KM Azizul Hoque of Motijheel police station, against five BNP leaders, for allegedly conspiring to kill law enforcers, and organise bomb attacks on September 24. The other was filed by SI Humayun Kabir of the Motijheel police for obstructing police from discharging duties, vandalism and arson, on November 5.
The three leaders- Moudud Ahmed, MK Anwar and Rafiqul Islam Mia – were arrested from the capital, on Friday night, hours after the BNP-led 18 Party Alliance announced the 72-hour hartal, demanding “non-party polls-time government”.
DB?police also arrested Khaleda’s adviser Abdul Awal Mintoo, and special assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, the same night.
-With The Independent input
