BNP leader Nipun Roy Chowdhury arrested over violent clash with police

Police have arrested BNP leader Nipun Roy Chowdhury over Wednesday’s clashes at Naya Paltan.

Nipun, a lawyer by training and member of the party’s Central Executive Committee, is the daughter of former state minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury and daughter-in-law of the party’s senior leader Gayeshwar Chandra Roy.

Photos of Nipun carrying a stick during the clashes have appeared in the media.

The BNP has claimed Baby Naznin was arrested along with Nipun on Thursday evening, but the law enforcers denied arresting the singer-turned-politician.

Police arrested Nipun from near the Nightingale bend after she left the BNP offices in the evening.

“Police have arrested Baby Naznin and Nipun Roy from near Nightingale,” the party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told the media.

Md Nurunnabi, a deputy commissioner at Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch, confirmed the news of her arrest to bdnews24.com. “She is accused in a case over yesterday’s incident.”

Nurunnabi said the police did not arrest Naznin. He dismissed Rizvi’s claim as a rumour, saying no other agency arrested the singer either.

Naznin is gunning for the BNP’s nomination in the upcoming parliamentary election.

She was seen on Thursday at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters, in front of which the clashes erupted.

File Photo: Singer Baby Naznin and film actor Helal Khan receiving the BNP's nomination form from Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir RIzvi at the party's Naya Paltan office in Dhaka on Monday. Photo: Abdullah Al Momin

Besides Nipun and Rizvi, about 200 people accused in the cases include BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas, his wife and Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal chief Afroza Abbas, BNP Vice-Chairman Akhtaruzzaman, its Jatrabarhi unit chief Nabiullah Nabi and Kafil Uddin, a member of the BNP chief’s Advisory Council.

Police have arrested around 65 members of the party and its affiliates over the clashes. The charges against them include assaulting police, arson attacks, and obstruction to government duty.

The law enforcers said they identified most of the members of the BNP and its affiliates involved in the violence and were trying to arrest them.

Afroza led a procession of her supporters carrying banners and festoons to the BNP offices, violating electoral code of conduct, according to the case dossiers. Later, Nabi and Kafil Uddin brought two more processions.

The road was completely blocked when Mirza Abbas led a procession of thousands of supporters to the area, Sub-Inspector Somen Kumar Barua said in one of the cases.

“They did not pay any heed when we requested them to leave a lane open for traffic. We also requested Ruhul Kabir Rizvi to ask the leaders and activists to follow the electoral code of conduct by loudspeaker.

“But the BNP activists launched attacks on the police with intention to kill,” the police officer said.

Some crude bombs were found at the scene, he added.