Fakhrul, Abbas shown arrested in Nayapaltan clash case

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and the party's Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas were shown arrested in a case filed over the party's clash with police at Nayapaltan on Wednesday.

"They were shown arrested on the charges of provoking BNP men to carry out an attack on police in Nayapaltan area," DB chief Harun Or Rashid told reporters in front of DB office Friday (9 December).

They were detained from their residences last midnight by police in plainclothes hours after they went to visit two alternative venues for their party's 10 December rally.

"We took them last night for questioning about the Nayapaltan violence on 7 December," DB Additional Commissioner Harun Or Rashid told The Business Standard.

Earlier last night, Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch (BD) picked up the two senior BNP leaders from their respective residences to interrogate them about the recent clash at Nayapaltan.

Police filed five cases against over 2,500 Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leaders and activists, mentioning 885 names, in connection with the clash between BNP activists and police in the capital's Nayapaltan area on Wednesday (7 December).

The party's media cell member Shairul Kabir Khan said that police in plainclothes picked up Mirza Fakhrul at around 3am from his Uttara residence and Mirza Abbas was picked up at around 3:15am from his Shahjahanpur residence.

An official of the Detective Branch, seeking anonymity, confirmed the matter to The Business Standard noting that the two top BNP leaders last night were taken to DB headquarters in the capital's Minto Road for interrogation.

When asked about the midnight detention without any arrest warrant or fresh case against them, the official declined to comment on that.

Later on Friday afternoon, Harun Or Rashid, additional commissioner of DB, told media that the senior BNP leaders were not detained or arrested but were taken for interrogation.  

"Police are now quizzing Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Mirza Abbas over Wednesday's clash and the overall Nayapaltan issue," he said adding further decisions in this regard will be taken after questioning.

The arrests were made hours after BNP agreed to hold the 10 December rally at a different venue instead of Nayapaltan. After visiting the two proposed venues - Mirpur Bangla College and Kamalapur Stadium, Mirza Abbas on Thursday (8 December) night told journalists, "We had visited both places, those aren't safe areas for BNP activists".

BNP Standing Committee leaders will hold a virtual meeting on Friday. 

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court on Thursday ( December) sent 445 BNP leaders and activists to jail in two cases filed over Wednesday's (7 Decemeber) clash with police that left one person dead and 50 injured.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Publication Secretary Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie were among the top leaders who were sent to jail, pending further legal procedures. Meanwhile, the court granted bail to BNP's Dhaka North Convener Aman Ullah Aman and National Executive Committee member Abdul Kader Bhuiyan Jewel.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Tofazzal Hossain passed the order after police produced the them before court on Thursday and sought remand for seven days to interrogate them. Besides, the court placed 23 BNP leaders and activists on a two-day remand.

BNP's Co-Climate Secretary Mostafizur Rahman Babul, Co-Organisational Secretary Seluzzaman Selim, BNP Dhaka district President Khondokar Abu Ashfaq, BNP leaders Shahjahan, AKM Aminul Islam, Wakil Ahmed, Sajeen Bhuiyan, Sarwar Hossain Sheikh, Saidul Iqbal Mahmud, Mizanur Rahman, Al Amin, Saiful, Shuvo Farazi and Mahmud Hossain Rony, are among the people remanded.

Police arrested 470 BNP activists and leaders in connection with the clash and they were sued in two cases filed with Paltan and Motijheel police stations

BNP Chairperson's Special Assistant Shimul Biswash, Dhaka South Convener Abdus Salam, Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokon, former organisational secretary Fazlul Haque Milon, Co-Organisational Secretary Selimuzzaman, are among others sued in the case.

Police fired teargas and charged with batons during a clash with BNP activists at Nayapaltan on Wednesday, leaving a man dead and 50 others injured.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday claimed that two leaders of their party's student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal were killed and over 100 others were injured in an attack by police when bullets were fired in front of their party's Nayapaltan central office.

Police detained BNP leaders Rizvi, Annie, Shimul Biswash, Aman Ullah and several others from the Nayapaltan area during the operation.

Police filed four cases at Ramna, Shahjahanpur, Motijheel and Paltan police stations against 720 BNP activists and over 2,400 unnamed people in connection with Wednesday's clash with BNP that left one person dead and many injured.

So far 500 people have been arrested in this regard, said police.