A Dhaka court on Friday sent BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas to jail in a case filed over the clash between police and party activists in the capital’s Nayapaltan on Wednesday. Judge Mohammad Jashim of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court passed the order on Friday. During the proceedings, a group of lawyers including Masud Ahmed Talukder and Omar Faruk Faruki stood for Fakhrul and Abbas, while Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu represented the State. Read more: BNP’s Dec 10 rally finally to be held at Golapbagh ground Earlier, Inspector of Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Tariqul Islam presented the two political leaders at the court and requested for sending them behind bars. Masud and Omar opposed the prayer, while Abu supported it. After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge rejected the bail plea by defence lawyers and sent the duo to jail, pending further legal procedures. Fakhrul and Abbas were shown arrested in a case filed with Paltan police station over Wednesday’s clash that left one dead and 50 others injured. Both of them were picked up by detectives during the early hours on Friday in separate raids in Dhaka.  “They have been arrested in the case filed under the Explosive Substance Act at Paltan police station on Thursday after questioning,” said Harun Or Rashid, Chief of Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, at a press briefing in the capital on Friday. Read more: Join Dhaka rally spontaneously to reply to govt’s ill-motive, says Khandaker Mosharraf They face charges of instigating, planning and directing an attack on police, crude bomb explosion and destroying public property and lives, he added.  

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) is ready to tackle any situation that may arise over BNP’s December 10 rally in Dhaka, Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of the elite force’s legal and media wing, said today (December 05, 2022). Bomb disposal unit of Rab, special force, special dog squad, and helicopter unit are on alert centering the rally, while Rab intelligence team – in plainclothes – will also be deployed to prevent any untoward incident, he said while speaking at a press briefing held at Rab’s Karwan Bazar media office. Responding to a question on the security preparation of the elite force, Commander Moin said, “A stable situation is prevailing in the country at the moment. The government and political parties are conducting their political activities, and Rab has generally gained confidence in arresting criminals, drug dealers, those possessing illegal weapons and those against whom warrants have been issued.” Also read: People are afraid of BNP’s Dec 10 rally: Obaidul Quader Besides, there will be a routine patrol team, check-posts and Intelligence surveillance centering BNP’s Dhaka rally, so that any kind of sabotage attempt can be prevented. On September 27, BNP announced a series of public rallies in 10 divisional cities. The party will conclude the divisional programmes by holding its last rally in Dhaka on December 10. BNP has long been demanding that the next general election be held under a caretaker government, not under any political government – a demand outright rejected by the ruling Awami League as the constitution does not contain any such provision. Also read; BNP won't be allowed to orchestrate violence surrounding December 10 rally: Quader.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said that Bangladesh Chhatra League’s (BCL) central council has been moved to December 8 from December 6 as per Prime Minister and party president Sheikh Hasina’s instruction – to ensure that BNP can hold their Dhaka rally on December 10 without any difficulty. Obaidul Quader said this while addressing Pirojpur Awami League’s tri-annual conference today, joining virtually from his Dhaka residence. “The government will not obstruct BNP’s December 10 rally in Dhaka, but if they try to play with fire and sticks, they will get a befitting reply,” Quader said. Read more: No permission given to BNP yet to hold rally at Nayapaltan: Home Minister The minister and AL leader said that a Canadian federal court declared BNP as a “terrorist organisation”, as their politics is about arson attacks in the name of protests. “It is not so easy to turn a man – who fled to London after signing a bond with the condition that he will not be involved in politics – into a leader,” Quader said. Regarding BNP’s demand for a caretaker government, the AL general secretary questioned BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul: “Which country of the world has a caretaker government? It was your leader who said that no one is neutral except children and those who are mad.” Read more: Amid relative ease, BNP’s 8th divisional rally begins in Cumilla He said the caretaker government is now “obsolete”. Quader also said all the hype about a “human sea” went silent after BNP’s Cumilla rally and they will see what’s what in the capital during the Dhaka rally of BNP.