AL, BNP men clash as Mainul produced at a Rangpur court

At least 13 people, including three policemen, were injured as the activists of Awami League and BNP clashed on the Rangpur court premises over throwing shoes and eggs at barrister Mainul Hosein yesterday.

Mainul, who was brought to Rangpur jail from Dhaka on Saturday, was produced before the court of Arifa Yasmin Mukta for a hearing on his bail petition in a defamation case filed with a Rangpur court on October 22.

Rejecting the bail petition, the court set November 22 for the next hearing of the bail plea, said Mainul's lawyer Ekramul Haque.

Police and witnesses said hearing that Mainul would be taken to the court, a number of leaders and activists of Awami League, Jubo League, Jubo Mohila League and Chhatra League started gathering on the court premises since morning. They separately staged demonstrations there.

Jubo Mohila League also brought out a broom procession. When police were taking Moinul back to Rangpur jail around 2:00pm, the AL men hurled shoes and eggs at him, the witnesses said. 

Mainul, a former adviser to a caretaker government, was wearing a red helmet. 

As some pro-BNP lawyers protested the incident, the AL men started chanting anti-BNP slogans on the court premises. The BNP leaders and activists, who went to the court for different case hearings, protested the slogans.

At one stage, both the groups locked in a clash. They hurled brick chips at each other and several chases and counter-chases ensued.

To bring the situation under control, police charged truncheons on the clashing groups. Police also fired four rubber bullets and two teargas canisters to disperse them, said Altaf Hossain, additional superintendent of Rangpur police. 

The injured took treatment at Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

Mili Maya Begum, in Rangpur's Mulatol area, lodged the case with the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court in the district, accusing Mainul of hurling abuse at journalist Masuda Bhatti during a TV talk show on the night of October 16.

Police arrested him from the capital on October 22 after an arrest warrant was issued. 

Meanwhile, Gonoforum President and Jatiya Oikyafront leader Dr Kamal Hossain condemned activists of the ruling AL for assaulting Mainul while he was in police custody.

In a statement, he also demanded that the government take legal action against the attackers.