BNP chief Khaleda, 37 others charged in court in Jatrabarhi firebombing of a bus

Detectives have charged Khaleda Zia and 37 others in court over a January firebombing of a bus at Jatrabarhi that left one dead amid the BNP’s nationwide transport blockade.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 May 2015, 02:10 PM
Updated : 6 May 2015, 07:16 PM

DB Sub-Inspector Bashir Uddin submitted the chargesheets in two cases at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday evening.

The BNP chairperson was accused in several violence-related cases as the instigator of the firebombings during the three-month-long blockade that started on Jan 5.

Wednesday’s were the first chargesheets filed after investigations by the Detective Branch.

Court Police’s SI Ujir Ali told bdnews24.com the 37 others were also leaders and activists of the BNP.

They include senior leaders MK Anwar, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Amanullah Aman, Barkatullah Bulu, Khandker Mahbub Hossain, Shamsul Rahman Shimul Biswas and Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel.

Case investigation officer Bashir Uddin urged the court to issue arrest warrants for 31 of those named in the chargesheets.

He said in the documents seven accused were already arrested.

The DB official added they were accused under various sections of the Bangladesh Penal Code including for killing and also under the Explosives Act.

A total of 81 people were named witnesses in the chargesheets.

The chargesheets mentioned that two arrestees ‘Sohag’ and ‘Liton’ had already given statements to the court confessing to their crimes.

The two had provided the details about the people who had planned it, ordered it and were involved in the arson attack.

At least 30 people were also burnt when the bus was firebombed at Jatrabarhi’s Katherpool on Jan 23.

One of passengers, a contractor named Nur Alam, had succumbed to his burn injuries several days later at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

Jatrabarhi Police Station’s SI KM Nuruzzaman filed the two cases against 69 people including the BNP chief who stood accused of 'conspiring and instigating' the arson attack.

The court will now first hear the state’s argument to frame charges against all the accused in the case. The trial will begin after the court indicts them.

If that happens, Khaleda, who is already being tried in two corruption cases, will have to start another legal battle.

The former prime minister is also accused in three other graft cases that are currently halted by the High Court.

The BNP chief after failing to organise party programmes had called the nonstop transport blockade from Jan 5, which continued for three months.

The blockade was marred by widespread violence including arson attacks, firebombings, crude bomb blasts and clashes across Bangladesh.

Apart from that, the BNP had also enforced countrywide shutdowns throughout February.

More than 150 people were killed in violence, half of them in firebombings and arson attacks, amid the blockade and the shutdowns enforced by the BNP-led 20-Party alliance.