Plaintiff doesn’t know accused, police claim all BNP activists

Miscreants set fire to a bus in Ashulia area of Savar on Saturday, when opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party was observing a sit-in protest programme demanding resignation of the government.

Windows of several buses were also vandalised.

Driver Md Anwar Hossain of the bus that was set on fire lodged a suit at Ashulia police station on Saturday night in this connection.

The plaintiff, however, does not know any of the accused. He just signed the First Information Report (FIR) at the behest of police. But the police claimed all of the accused are leaders and activists of BNP.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, plaintiff Anwar Hossain said he cannot identify who they were. They did not chant any slogan either. He also said he saw them vandalising the bus but he was not sure who they were.

The accused of the case, Swechasebak Dal’s Dhaka district unit member secretary Md Asaduzzaman Mohon told Ptohom Alo, “Our names have been included in the case based on political consideration and to harass us. We all were in Gabtoli to participate in the party programme. Yet, we have been made accused. Most of the 32 accused are former and current BNP leaders.”

Bus driver Anwar Hossain said, “I signed where police asked me to. I could in no way recognise anyone. How can I recognise people (attackers) when I scrambled to save my life! I did not hear explosion of crude bomb or anything else. It might have happened when I ran.”

Ashulia police station’s officer-in-charge SM Qamruzzaman told Prothom Alo that the bus was vandalised and torched at broad daylight and all of them are leaders-activists of BNP.