Ahsan Habib Lablu, general secretary of Dhaka CPB unit, filed a theft case against former president HM Ershad, his wife Rowshan Ershad, presidium member Abu Hossain Babla and a large number of unknown JP activists on Sunday.

On the other hand, Rezaul Islam Bhuiyan, office secretary of JP, filed an attempt to murder case against CPB President Manzurul Ahsan Khan, its acting General Secretary Shah Alam and 16 others.

The case filed by CPB alleged that a JP procession celebrating the party's 20th anniversary led by Ershad and Rowshan Ershad tried to march towards the Baitul Mukarram and came face-to-face with a CPB rally in front of the CPB office.

The CPB leaders and the on-duty policemen asked the JP leaders to change their route but they did not pay heed to it. At one point, the JP activists started to hurl chairs and strike the CPB activists with sticks that left several members of the CPB central committee, including CPB President Manzurul Ahsan Khan, injured.

A number of JP central committee members, including a female member, also received minor injuries during the incident.

The JP activists set fire to at least a dozen vehicles, several book shops, a mobile phone shop and a rickshaw around Paltan Crossing and Bijoy Nagar during the sporadic bursts of violence between 4:30pm and 6:30pm. They also damaged furniture and other things of Mukti Bhaban worth about Tk 50 lakh, the first information report (FIR) alleged.

The case filed by JP alleged that Manzurul Ahsan Khan and Shah Alam hit Ershad and Rowshan Ershad with iron rod and stick in an attempt to kill them. CPB president further directed his men to beat up other JP activists, it added.

One person was killed in a road accident during a clash between the JP (Ershad) and the CPB at Paltan on Sunday, leaving at least 25 activists of both the parties injured.