BNP leader Nipun, 6 others remanded

A Dhaka court placed BNP Executive Committee Member Nipun Roy Chowdhury and six others on five days' remand yesterday in three cases filed over Wednesday's clash and attack on police in Nayapaltan.

Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder passed the order after Kamrul Islam, investigation officer of the cases, produced them before the court with a 10-day remand prayer for each.

The court ordered that the women accused be interrogated by female cops only.

The six other BNP leaders and activists are Arifa Sultana Ruma, Younus Mirdha, Abul Hashim Sabuj, Amir Hossain, Mohosin and Mamun Or Rashid.

Lawyer Nitai Roy Chowdhury, who is Nipun's father, represented the accused.

On Thursday, a Dhaka court placed 38 accused on a five-day remand and allowed police to interrogate 27 others at the jail gate for three days in the cases.

Senior BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi are among the 488 people accused.

Meanwhile, Monirul Islam, chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, at a discussion yesterday said those who attacked police, vandalised or torched vehicles and carried sticks were identified from video footages and accused in the cases. “Police were victims there.”

He also said police could have dispersed the crowd within minutes on Wednesday if they were not reluctant to resort to force.

He also said there was no risk of a militant attack ahead of the election and police had all preparations to tackle any situation.

Debate for Democracy and Manusher Jonno Foundation organised the discussion at Cirdap auditorium.

Prof Farhana Begum, chairperson of anthropology department at Dhaka University; Alamgir Rahman, principal of Government Alia Madrasa; and Hassan Ahamed Chowdhury Kiron, chairman of Debate for Democracy also spoke.