Mirza Fakhrul, Abbas shown arrested in Paltan clash case: DB Chief

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas have been shown arrested in a case filed with Paltan police station over Wednesday’s clash that left one dead and several injured.

“They have been arrested in the case filed under the Explosive Substance Act at Paltan police station on Thursday after questioning,” said Harun Or Rashid Chief of Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police at a press briefing in the capital Friday.

They will be produced before court today and a remand will be sought to interrogate them, he said.

They were accused of instigating, planning and directing an attack on police, crude bomb explosion, destroying public property and lives, he added

When asked whether any other central BNP leader is under surveillance he said,” If anyone else is involved with such crimes we will take action against them too. We are keeping an eye on everything.”

Questioned about the BNP’s rally venue he said BNP is now proposing Golapbagh field but no decision was taken yet in this regard.

In the early hours of Friday, BNP’s Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan said that a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police picked up Mirza Fakhrul and Mirza Abbas from their homes in separate raids in the capital city.

Earlier on Thursday night, a BNP delegation had a six-hour meeting with the DMP commissioner where they talked about holding the rally on Saturday (December 10) either at Kamalapur Stadium or Mirpur Bangla College ground.

Later, Abbas with some BNP leaders visited the two venues.

On Wednesday, a Swechchasebak Dal leader was killed and around 50 others were injured in a clash between police and the BNP activists in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office ahead of its December 10 rally.

On Thursday, a Dhaka court sent 445 BNP leaders and activists to jail in two cases filed over Wednesday’s violence.

Party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Dhaka south city unit convener Abdus Salam and Publication Secretary Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie were among the top leaders who were sent to jail, pending further legal procedures.