Rizvi, 433 others sent to jail, 14 put on 2-day remand

A court in Dhaka has sent 434 leaders and activists of BNP, including its Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, in a case over the police-BNP clash at Nayapaltan in the capital.

BNP's Dhaka South city convener Abdus Salam, the party chairperson's special assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Bishwas, its joint secretary general Khairul Kabir Khokan and publication secretary Shahid Uddin Annie, are among those sent to jail.

The court also placed 14 other BNP men on a two-day remand in the same case.

They are BNP leaders Mostafizur Rahman Babul, Selimuzzaman Selim, Khandaker Abu Ashfaque, Shahjahan, AKM Aminul Islam, Wakil Ahmed, Sajeeb Bhuiyan, Sarwar Hossain Sheikh, Saidul Iqbal Mahmud, Mizanur Rahman, Al Amin, Saiful, Shuva Farazi and Mahmud Hasan Roni.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Tofazzal Hossain passed the two orders after police had produced the accused before the court, seeking a seven-day remand.

Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, police and BNP leaders-activists clashed in front of the party's central office that left one dead and several injured.

The deceased was identified as Makbul Hossain, 40, whom BNP claimed as its activist.

During the clash, police detained many BNP leaders and activists, including Rizvi, Aman, Annie and Shimul Bishwas.

Police claimed they seized rice sacks, cash money and explosives from the central office of BNP in a drive there.   

Witnesses said BNP men started gathering in front of the party office on Wednesday morning and a huge crowd was seen in the afternoon.

The clash ensued when police lobbed tear shells and rubber bullets to remove BNP men from the road there.

Police had, however, alleged that BNP aggressively attacked police at Nayapaltan and tried to create a 'ring of terror' in the entire area that led them to take action to keep the law and order situation normal.

Later, a case was lodged with Paltan Model Police Station, Dhaka in this connection.

Some 473 named and 1,500-2,000 unknown people were accused in the lawsuit.

JA/SU