Court Correspondent :The Detective Branch (DB) of police yesterday (Wednesday) submitted the charge sheets to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and 37 others including senior BNP leaders in two cases filed for Jatrabari arson attack on a bus on January 23 that killed a person and burned 27 others.Sub-Inspector Bashir Uddin of the DB Police submitted the charge sheets to the concerned GR section of the court. The Detective Branch sible for implementing the plan.Two persons, Sohag and Liton were arrested in the case. Later, on February 19, they made confessional statements to a court admitting their involvement in the incident. Police informed that their statements included the names of the planners, implementers and instructors, who caused the incident happen.Though the BNP chief was not accused in the case, the first information report (FIR) filed with Jatrabari Police Station mentioned that the accused carried out the attack on instructions by Khaleda Zia to enforce a nationwide blockade for indefinite period from January 6. of police that conducted the investigation into the incident submitted two separate charge sheets in two cases – one for killing and the other for hurling petrol bombs on a passenger bus at Jatrabari in the capital.Besides Khaleda Zia, other accused are- BNP Standing Committee members Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia and MK Anwar, Vice-Chairman Selima Rahman, Chairperson’s advisers advocate Khandaker Mahbub Hossain and Shwkat Mahmud, Joint Secretary Generals of the party Amanullah Aman, Barkat Ullah Bulu and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Chairperson’s Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel and her Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, among others. Two petrol bombs thrown by miscreants exploded inside a passenger bus of Glory Transport in Katherpool area of Jatrabari on the night of January 23. Twenty-nine people of the bus suffered burns and one of the them, Noor Alam, 60, a passenger succumbed to his injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on February 1.The following day, Sub-Inspector KM Nuruzzaman filed the case with Jatrabari Police Station making Khaleda Zia one of the accused. Besides, the names of eighteen leaders of BNP were mentioned as planners of the incident under Sections 15 and 25(Gha) of Special Power Act 1974. Fifty leaders and activists of Jatrabari BNP were made respon.
