Staff reporter :
A total of 14 cases have been filed against BNP men and others on charge of torching buses, throwing crude and petrol bombs Dhaka city till Saturday night.
The cases were filed by police accussing the members of BNP and its front organisations and some unnamed persons who gathered unlawfully, carried out the arson attacks and exploded crude bombs for the purpose of foiling Dhaka-18 by-polls and damaging lives and properties.
Of them, 12 cases were filed on charges of setting fire to the buses and two others under the explosives act, added the police official. More than 650 people have been made accused in the cases, said Walid Hossain, Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Talking to The New Nation, the official said that a total of 32 people have been arrested till 9.00 pm on Saturday over the charges.
He said a total of 14 cases had been filed with Motijheel, Shahbagh, Bangshal, Kalabagan, Bhatara, Airport and Uttara East Police Stations on charges of torching buses. Of them two cases were filed with Turag and Uttara East Police Stations under the explosives act.
Earlier on Friday, thirteen cases were filed with different police stations in the capital.
Among the cases, BNP’s SM Jahangir has been named in three cases.
Two cases were filed with Uttara East Police Station on Friday — one for arson attack on a bus in Azampur area, and another for exploding crude bombs in front of a polling centre — on the election day, Nure Alam Siddique, officer-in-charge of Uttara East police station,
Jahangir, who was defeated by the Awami League candidate in the by-polls by a huge margin, was mentioned as the mastermind behind the incident, police said.
Meanwhile, Jahangir was also made the prime accused in a case filed with Airport Police Station, said Sub-inspector Asaduzzaman Sheikh of Airport Police Station.
More than 100 persons were made accused in a case filed with Khilkhet Police Station, BNP candidate Jahangir was among the accused, said Aminul Islam, inspector (investigation) of the police Station.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said that in most of the cases, particular party identities were found in the investigation of bus fires in the capital.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Walid Hossain told it to the reporters in the DMP press briefing on Saturday morning.
“We will try to find out why they set the bus on fire or what their motive was.” And we will try to find out who were their collaborators and under whose direction they did these things, DMP Commissioner Walid said.
We will increase the number of police patrols, our intelligence and checkpoints as a precaution too. We are also trying to identify the saboteurs by searching different CCTV footage of the scene and its surroundings, DMP added.
Police, however, also claimed that most of miscreants those involved in the burning of 10 buses in different parts of the capital city on Thursday have already been identified.
Deputy Commissioner of DMP (media) Walid Hossain further added that some hired criminals took part in the destructiveness activities. The bus was burnt for the purpose of creating panic in the minds of the common people.
There are even many accused under political identities who have committed such incidents long before. Security has been beefed up across the capital city since Thursday’s incident, DC added.
