Staff Reporter :Two separate cases have been filed against 150 leaders and activists of BNP, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal, including the JCD president and secretary, in connection with the Bakshibazar clash on Wednesday.Police filed the cases with Shahbagh and Chwakbazar police stations on Wednesday night accusing more than 150 BNP men.Of the two cases, one was filed over the attack on the lawmaker Chhobi Biswas with the Shahbagh Police Station accused the perpetrators of an ‘attempt to murder a lawmaker’.About 23 persons, including Khaleda Zia’s advisor Abdul Awal Mintoo, BNP central leaders Habibunnabi Khan Sohel, Azizul Bari Helal, JCD President Rajib Ahsan, General Secretary Akramul Hasan, Organising Secretary Ishak Sarkar and another 50 to 60 unidentified people were named in the case.JCD is the student wing of the BNP while Jubo Dal is its associate youth front. BNP central leaders Sohel and Helal are former JCD chiefs. “The attackers have been accused of trying to kill an MP, arson, theft of cash and mobile phones, obstructing police from doing their duty and attacking law enforcers,” said Officer-in Charge of Shahbagh Police Station Sirajul Islam.Police have already arrested eight of the 23 named in the case, the OC said.Meanwhile, another case has been filed with the Chawkbazar Police Station over Wednesday’s clashes accusing around 100 BNP supporters. Chawkbazar Police Station’s Officer-inCharge Azizul Haque said five people were arrested on Wednesday night on charge of attacking police. Earlier, police have detained 54 people from different parts of Dhaka in connection with the clash.At least 50 persons, including a ruling party MP, were injured in a violent clash between BNP men and BCL activists near Bakshibazar Special Court in Old Dhaka just before BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was about to appear there in two graft cases on Wednesday.The hour-long clash that began around noon stretched from Bakshibazar to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital [DMCH] area. Police charged batons, lobbed teargas canisters and fired rubber bullets to disperse the fighting groups.Amid the clash, ruling Awami League MP from Netrokona Chhobi Biswas was attacked in front of the DMCH. The attackers set his car on fire.The BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has claimed that the Awami League was responsible for the clash and the aim was to attack the party chief’s motorcade.Meanwhile, the State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Thursday claimed that there was no involvement of Bangladesh Chhatra League [BCL] men in the Bakshibazar clash when the BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia went to appear before court.The home minister came up with the claim after visiting injured ruling party MP Chhobi Biswas at DMCH at around 12:00 noon.”None of the persons locked in clash on Wednesday are BCL activist. The BNP men created the anarchic situation to hamper the trial [of Khaleda Zia],” he said.The state minister said: “They [BNP men] attacked our MP Chhobi Biswas in a bid to kill him.”On the other hand, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif yesterday said that the clashes at Bakshibazar were “preplanned’.”Khaleda Zia launched the attacks at Bakshibazar and DMCH areas with her armed cadres, being sure about her conviction in corruption case, to stop and hinder the trial proceedings,” he said while addressing a press conference after the AL secretarial meeting held at Dhanmondi office of party president Sheikh Hasina.He also said the BNP and Chhatra Dal ‘terrorist forces’ launched the attacks with a view to creating instability in the country.Referring to the attack on MP Chhobi Biswas, Hanif further said, “The BNP carried out this terrorist act taking the advance of democracy. If this continues, the people of this country might attack the cars of the BNP leaders.”
