A Dhaka court on Wednesday sent BNP leader Ishraque Hossain to jail in an arson attack case, hours after he was arrested from the capital’s Motijheel area.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Tamanna Farah passed the order, turning down the bail petition of the BNP leader.

Also read:BNP leader Ishraque Hossain held in Dhaka

Advocate Masud Ahmed Talukdar filed the petition seeking bail for his client Ishraque, a member of the BNP’s Dhaka south city unit, as he was produced before the court by police.

Earlier in the day, police arrested Ishraque Hossain, the eldest son of former Dhaka city mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, in connection with an arson attack case filed two years back.

Enamul Haque Mithu, additional deputy commissioner (Motijheel zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they arrested Ishraque from Motijheel’s Shapla Chattar area at 11.30am.

He said an arrest warrant was issued against the BNP leader in a case filed over setting a car on fire in 2020.

Talking to UNB, Dhaka south city unit BNP convener Abdus Salam said police arrested Ishraque while he along with Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal leaders was distributing leaflets highlighting the Awami League government’s failure in controlling the prices of daily essentials and against its alleged corruption.

Ishraque was BNP’s mayoral candidate in the last Dhaka South City Corporation elections.

An FIR was lodged against 42 people in connection with vandalising and torching vehicles on November 12, 2020. Ishraque was made an accused in the case.

On November 18, 2020, the BNP leader secured bail from the High Court in the case.

On January 5, 2021, he surrendered before a lower court after completion of his bail period, granted by the High Court and sought bail again in the case.

On August 18, 2021, the court issued a warrant for the arrest of Ishraque after rejecting his bail petition in the case.

Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir strongly condemned and protested the arrest of Ishraque.

Also read: Graft case: ACC challenges Ishraque's acquittal

“The government is using harassment, torture, false charges and arrests as weapons to suppress the country’s people as there is a famine-like situation all around. Ishraque has been arrested on the same ground,” he said.

The BNP leader demanded the unconditional release of Ishraque.