Court permits police to question BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul at jail gate

A Dhaka court has granted police the permission to question BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the jail gate rejecting its petition for remand.

The court has also turned down BNP acting secretary general’s bail plea in three separate cases over arson attack.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ashok Kumar Dutta issued the order on Wednesday.

Police sought a total of 30-day remand, 10 days for each case, over three cases of arson filed at with the Paltan police.

The court had fixed Wednesday for hearing the remand petition and accordingly Mirza Fakhrul was produced before the court in the morning.

Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Salam Hai Tuni, representing the state, pressed for the remand.

Opposing the APP, Mirza Fakhrul’s lawyers Masud Ahmed Talukder and Joynul Abedin Mesbah appealed for a bail.

After the hearing, the court rejected both the petitions and granted police permission to question Mirza Fakhrul at the jail gate within the next three days, if needed.

Fakhrul, including a number of BNP leaders and activists were accused of being involved in arson attacks during the BNP-led alliance’s agitation that had begun on Jan 5.

According to the complaints filed with the Paltan police on Jan 5, Fakhrul along with 28 other BNP leaders and members had set fire to a bus at Dhaka’s Gulistan.

In another case, lodged the same day, charges of setting fire to a police motorbike at Fakirapul were brought against Fakhrul and 50 others.

The third case is pertaining to arson attack on a bus near the capital’s Purana Paltan on Jan 6.

Fakhrul and 34 others have been accused in this case.

One of the BNP leader’s lawyer, Joynul Abedin Mesbah, told bdnews24.com that 80 cases were filed against Mirza Fakhrul.

Four of the cases are under trial now, he added.