BANGLADESH

The 25 leaders and activists of 18-party alliance including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused of exploding 'bombs' at secretariat secured an anticipatory bail from the High Court on Monday.

Justice Mohammad Anwarul Haque, judge of a third bench of the HC, granted them bail till submission of the charge sheet in the case.

The case was filed with Shahbagh Police Station against 28 leaders and activists of 18-party alliance in connection with exploding 'bombs' at the Bangladesh Secretariat during the April 29 shutdown.

Among the accused, 25 secured the bail as they appeared before the HC bench around 10:30am for bail.

On May 7, two HC judges delivered dissenting orders on their bail petitions compelling the chief justice to sent the petition to a third bench.

Earlier on Sunday, the HC bench of Justice Md Anwarul Haque ordered the alliance leaders to surrender before the lower court by May 16 in connection with a case filed for torching a vehicle near the Prime Minister’s Office during the April 29 hartal.

The HC also ordered the law enforcers not to arrest or harass the accused until they appear before the lower court on May 16.

DISSENTING ORDER

On May 10, Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain sent the bail petition to the third bench of the HC since two judges of a division bench earlier passed dissenting order on the petition.

Earlier on May 7, a two-member HC bench delivered dissenting orders on seven separate bail petitions submitted by around 30 accused leaders, including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in the cases filed for blasts and arson during the April 29 shutdown.

Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, the senior judge of the bench, granted anticipatory bail to the accused till submission of police reports in the cases, which were filed with Tejgaon and Shahbagh police stations.

He also issued seven separate rules upon the government to explain in three weeks why the petitioners should not be granted regular bail.

Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder, the other judge, however, directed the accused politicians to surrender before the magistrate's court concerned within seven days and ordered law enforcers not to harass or arrest them during that period.

The two judges had recently sent the bail petitions along with their orders to the chief justice.

TORCHING CASE

In another development on May 13, a Dhaka court fixed May 21 to decide whether it will indict Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and 44 other leaders and activists of the 18-party alliance in the vehicle torching case.

Earlier on May 10, inspector of the Detective Branch of Police Nurul Amin, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the charge sheet against 45 leaders and activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, including Fakhrul, in the case.

Frequent bomb blasts in Meherpur district by criminals including extortionists and outlaws have become a cause of concern for the people.
At least 16 such incidents of bomb blast took place in the district in the month of August alone claiming a life and injuring 15 others.
Criminals in the district also shot two people dead and slit throat of another in the same month.
Other crimes, including rape, robbery, extortion and violence have also marked a steady rise.
Police records show that law enforcement agencies seized 17 live bombs, nine different firearms, and eight bullets over the same period.
Police also arrested seven people in connection with the crimes including bomb blasts.
According to official records, at least seven bombs were blasted in the month of July and eight live bombs were seized by law enforcers. Three people were injured in the blasts.
The last bomb blast as per police records occurred on August 27. The bomb went off when a cadre of an outlawed party was making them at his house at Bamundi village of Gangni upazila in the district. Police arrested the alleged bomb maker Azmot and seized two live bombs.
August 23 saw death of an activist of ruling Awami League after his rivals from BNP threw a bomb on him during a clash between them at Goalgram village of the same upazila.
On August 22, one person was injured when robbers threw bombs on people in Stadiumpara area in Meherpur town. The gang exploded bombs when people chased them.
Police arrested one of the robbers within two hours of the incident and seized two LGs and two bombs from him.
On August 19, police recovered five bombs from Milemari village in Gangni upazila
On August 17, police arrested five robbers and recovered looted valuables. Two firearms and three bombs were recovered from them. On the same day, Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) recovered one bomb from Khasmahal border point in the district.
On August 14, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-6) seized two firearms from a bus on the Meherpur-Mujibnagar route.
On August 11, armed robbers blasted at least five bombs while looting a house at Bamanpara in Meherpur town. People caught one of the robbers and handed him over to police.
On August 2, Rab-6 found two bombs at a godown at Saharbati village.
Meanwhile, police recovered six bombs from a graveyard in Gangni upazila on Sunday.
A police team from Pirtala camp raided the graveyard at Harbhanga village in the evening and found the bombs kept in a polythene bag.
Locals and police said several outlawed parties and gangs have regrouped and resumed their criminal activities in the areas. A number of notorious criminals and outlawed party leaders have returned to their old dens, they said.
A section of ruling party leaders are allegedly harbouring the outlawed party leaders and cadres who move with them in the guise of 'party men'.
These criminals evade arrest as a section of political leaders and local influential people shelter them. The ruling party men use them for establishing supremacy in their respective areas, a police official alleged.
Police sources said, at least a dozen outlawed parties are active in the region and an unspecified number of illegal firearms are under their possession.
These outfits have around 5,000 cadres who belong to Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-ML)--Janajuddho faction, PBCP-red flag, PBCP-Communist War, Biplobi Communist Party (BCP), New Biplobi Communist Party (NBCP), Gono Bahini (GB), Gono Mukti Fouz (GMF), Banglar Communist Party, Socialist Party (SP), Biplobi Anuragi, Chinnamul Communist Party (CCP) and Sharbahara Janatar Mancha.