Naya Paltan clash: 38 BNP men sent to jail

A Dhaka court today sent 38 BNP leaders and activists to jail on completion of their remands in connection with three cases filed over the clash between the party men and police in Dhaka’s Naya Paltan on Wednesday.

The Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court passed the order after police produced them before it on completion of their two-day remand instead of five days.

Police arrested 65 of the accused, including BNP Chairperson's Adviser Kafiluddin, and produced them before the court on Thursday with a 10-day remand prayer. The court placed 38 of the 65 arrestees on a five-day remand and allowed police to interrogate 27 others at the jail gate for three days.

According to the police forwarding report, the law enforcers received sufficient information from the accused during the first two-day remand. That’s why they did not need to take them on remand for the rest three days, it read.

The cases filed with Paltan Police Station and mentioned that “the attack” was aimed at creating instability, unrest and anarchy.

The clash in front of the BNP's central office left at least 20 BNP activists and as many policemen injured.

Senior BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi are also among the 488 people accused of attempting to foil the upcoming parliamentary polls in three cases.

WHAT HAPPENED ON WEDNESDAY?

During the third day of BNP’s nomination form sale at its Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka, clashes broke out between police and BNP supporters and activists.

While several people including policemen were hurt, two police vehicles were set on fire at the spot and many other vehicles vandalised.

But immediately afterwards, BNP blamed police for an unprovoked attack and urged its supporters to calm down and maintain a peaceful atmosphere.

However, police sued several BNP men in three separate lawsuits after the clashes.