234 cases filed against BNP leaders in Dhaka ahead of election
A total of 234 cases were filed against BNP leaders-activists in Dhaka city in three months in the lead up to the 12th general election.
As many as 5500 names of leaders-activists were mentioned and 3000 more unnamed were implemented in these cases filed with different police stations of the capital.
The cases were filed over torching vehicles, obstructing police, attack, hurling crude bombs and carrying out sabotage between October and December. Most of the cases were filed by the police.
BNP leaders allege that these cases were filed to corner the BNP in the lead up to the national election. Cases were filed against BNP men this way before the 11th parliament election and many of the cases filed were fictitious, BNP leaders allege.
The police and court sources said 60 cases were filed against BNP leaders-activists in October, 133 in November and 41 in December.
Of the cases, 36 were filed over clash centering BNP’s grand rally on 28 October. Many top BNP leaders including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Mirza Abbas and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and leaders of central and Dhaka city units were arrested in these cases.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) media and public relations deputy commissioner Md Faruque Hossain told Prothom Alo that BNP leaders-activists unleashed violence in Naya Paltan and adjoining areas on 28 October.
Cases were filed against BNP leaders-activists on specific allegations of involvement with violence, he added.
BNP leaders allege that these cases were filed to corner the BNP in the lead up to the national election. Cases were filed against BNP men this way before the 11th parliament election and many of the cases filed were fictitious, BNP leaders allege.
Sources said cases against BNP leaders-activists increased after the party’s grand rally on 28 October was foiled. A total of 27,000 leaders-activists of the party were arrested between the last week of October and the third week of January.
BNP’s claim could not be verified. However, the information that could be gleaned from sources in the police and the court showed 3,156 opposition men were arrested in Dhaka between 28 October and 1 December.
Most of the BNP leaders-activists went into hiding in the face of stringent police raids at that time.
BNP’s legal affairs secretary and Supreme Court lawyer Kaiser Kamal claimed police filed one after another political cases against BNP men after foiling the party’s grand rally in Naya Paltan on 28 October.
He told Prothom Alo that a total of 738 cases were filed against BNP leaders-activists between 1 October and 7 January across the country.
BNP leaders allege that the government unleashed an arrest spree and filed cases against the opposition men to hold a one-sided election.
Law minister Anisul Huq, however, denied the allegation.
“No cases were filed against BNP leaders-activists on political consideration. Cases were filed over specific allegations of violence. Investigation report would be submitted to court against those whose involvement with the violence would be found,” the law minister told Prothom Alo on Saturday.
There are 50 police stations in Dhaka city. Information by the lawyers of BNP leaders and Dhaka’s court sources said 234 cases were filed against opposition men with 45 police stations between 1 October and 31 December.
No cases were filed against BNP leaders-activists on political consideration. Cases were filed over specific allegations of violence. Investigation report would be submitted to court against those whose involvement with the violence would be found
A total of 5,868 were named and around 3,000 more unnamed persons were accused in these cases.
Of the cases, the highest 26 were filed with Jatrabari police station, 22 in Paltan police station, 12 in Ramna police station, 11 each in Pallabi and Mirpur police stations, 10 in Motijheel police station and 8 in Demra police station.
Seven cases were filed in Khilgaon, Shahjahanpur, Shah Ali and Kafrul police stations. Six cases were filed with Shyampur, Darussalam, Hatirjheel, Bhatara and Wari police stations. Five cases were filed in Mohammadpur, Shere Bangla Nagar, Kadamtali and Mugda police stations. Four each were filed in Dhanmondi and Sabujbagh.
Three cases were filed with Chawkbazar,Banani, Tejgaon, Badda, Hazaribagh, Uttara East, Bhasantek, Rampura and Gendaria police stations. Two cases were filed with Lalbagh, Bangshal, Uttara West, Khilket, Shahbagh, Rupnagar and New Market police stations. One each case was filed in seven more police stations.
No new cases were filed against BNP men in Kamrangir Char, Gulshan, Uttarkhan, Adabor and Turag police stations.
Syed Nazrul Islam and Iltutmish Sawdagar are among the lawyers who conduct the cases of BNP leaders-activists. They told Prothom Alo that they provided legal assistance to around 200 BNP leaders-activists who were arrested in connection with cases filed in these three months.
Many bail petitions of their clients were rejected before the election on 7 January but many got bail after the election, they added.
Case filed over crude bomb explosion on voting day
Two cases were filed against BNP leaders-activists on the voting day, 7 January, and the day before, 6 January, with Motijheel police station.
Twenty named and 25 unnamed persons were accused in the cases. A total of 11 persons were arrested in these cases.
According to the case filed on 7 January, Jubo Dal and Chhatra Dal leaders-activists exploded crude bombs at Toyenbee Circular road in Motijheel to foil the election on the voting day. Police arrested five persons in this case.
BNP’s vice chairman and Supreme Court Bar Assocation’s former president Zainul Abedin told Prothom Alo that the government arrested and filed one after another cases against BNP leaders-activists before election to drive out the opposition activists from the field.
He said this government has set an unprecedented instance of using criminal cases as a tool to clamp down on opposition.