Goyeshwar arrested over 'MP murder attempt'

BNP Standing Committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy has been arrested on charges of attempted murder of Awami League MP Chhabi Biswas.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 26 Dec 2014, 02:53 AM
Updated : 26 Dec 2014, 12:17 PM

The arrest comes two days after the Bakshibazar clash between Awami League and BNP activists, and an attack on the ruling party MP.

Commissioner Masudur Rahman said, "Goyeshwar Roy was arrested in the early hours of Friday. We will appeal to the court for a 10-day remand, showing him arrested in the case filed at the Shahbagh Police Station over the assault on an MP."

The case, filed on Wednesday night, accused BNP chief Khaleda Zia's advisor Abdul Awal Mintoo, BNP central leaders Habibunnabi Khan Sohel, and Azizul Bari Helal, and other former and present leaders of the Chhatra Dal.

But Goyeshwar had not been named.

Meanwhile, tension was running high over the BNP and the Awami League's student front announcing rallies simultaneously at Gazipur's Bhawal Badre Alam Government College ground.

Earlier, Goyeshwar had said in response to Chhatra League's threat to stall Khaleda Zia's Gazipur rally: "We will certainly go to Gazipur on Dec 27. Rallies will be held countrywide, if we are not allowed to hold the rally there. Protests will spread across the country if the Gazipur road is blocked."

The Awami League would suffer the consequences of the harassment of BNP leaders and activists because of the cases, he said.

Masudur Rahman said police arrested three others in the case from the Turag Police Station area but could not name them.

The police officer said they had information of possible agitations on Jan 5, marking one year of the national polls boycotted by the BNP.

Roy’s assistant, Abdul Latif, said detective police had detained Goyeshwar from his Siddheswari home in Dhaka around 6am Friday.

He was taken to the police headquarters, said Latif.

Earlier, police had searched Goyeshwar's Rayer Bazar house but he wasn't there.

Police had also raided the house of Swecchashebak Dal President Habib-un Nabi Khan Sohel in Shantinagar around the same time.

Clashes had erupted between the ruling party and BNP supporters in front of a special court in Bakshibazar on Wednesday before Khaleda appeared there for a hearing on her corruption charges.

At one stage during the clash, the car of MP Biswas, who went to the DMCH to see an ailing freedom fighter, was set ablaze. He also suffered injuries to the head and had to be hospitalised.

Police and the Awami League blamed the BNP and student affiliate Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists for the incident, but the BNP denied the allegations.

Police filed two cases on Wednesday night over the attack on Biswas and the clashes.

Twenty-three people were named as accused in the case concerning the attack on the MP while about 60 unidentified people were also booked.

The other case accused 70 persons with names and another 30 to 40 unidentified people.

In photos published by the media on Thursday, Bangladesh Chhatra League activists were seen to be brandishing firearms and wielding sticks and bamboos but no one from the student affiliate of the ruling party was among the accused.