2016 Gulistan hawker eviction drive: 'Attempted murder' charges pressed against BCL leaders

Police have pressed 'attempted murder' charges against two leaders of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) who are accused of discharging firearms into the air during a 2016 drive to remove hawkers at Dhaka’s Gulistan.

The charge sheet was submitted to the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate on Apr 11, but the media was only informed of the matter on Sunday, said Shahbag Police Station SI Akram Hossain.

“The charge sheet will be brought before the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Nabi today,” court police General Registration Officer SI Mahmudur Rahman told bdnews24.com.

The two accused in the case are Dhaka Metropolitan South BCL General Secretary Sabbir Hossain and Wari Thana BCL General Secretary Ashiqur Rahman.

The BCL expelled Sabbir and Ashiq after pictures spread of the two firing guns while standing alongside city corporation workers during a 2016 hawker eviction drive at Gulistan’s Patal Market area.

Sabbir and Ashiq are both out on bail in the case. The two appeared at the court on Sunday and were granted an extension on their bail, said SI Mahmudur.

On Oct 27, 2016 hawkers and city corporation workers clashed during an eviction drive in Gulistan. Photos of Ashiq and Sabbir, who were with the city corporation workers, firing blanks into the air, soon appeared in various media reports.

The reports caused a stir and led to Shahbag Police Station SI Abdul Mannan filing a case against the two, accusing them of 'attempted murder'.

Another case was filed over the incident by roadside trader Md Shiraj at the Paltan Police Station.

Awami League leaders had said at the time that those identified as holding the weapons would not be spared.