Case filed against 250 BNP men for vandalising photos of Bangabandhu, PM Hasina in Sylhet
A case has been filed against 250 leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in connection with the vandalism of photos of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the protest march against the killing of BNP leader AFM Kamal in Sylhet.
Sylhet Awami League member Zahid Sarwar Sabuj filed the case at Kotwali Police Station on Tuesday (8 November). Although 250 people have been accused in the case, no one has been named.
"Police arrested 4 people before the case was filed. After their arrest on Monday night and Tuesday, they were sent to jail on Tuesday afternoon under Section 54. Now they will be will be shown arrested in this case," said Kotwali Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Ali Mahmud said on Wednesday (9 November).
He said that efforts are on to arrest others involved in this incident.
The arrested are Ishtiaq Ahmad Raju, Badrul Islam Nazrul, Milad Ahmad and Rajeev Ahmad. The arrestees are said to be involved in Chhatra Dal politics.
"Pictures of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were vandalised in the Rikabibazar area of the city on Sunday (6 November) night during a BNP rally. We are all angry and saddened by this," said Zahid Sarwar Sabuj.
He said that the names of the vandals were not mentioned in the statement as they could not be identified.
AFM Kamal, former health affairs secretary of the district BNP, was stabbed to death by miscreants in the Barabazar area of the city at around 9 o'clock on Sunday night. After this murder, the leaders and activists of BNP and other organizations took out a protest march from the area of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital at around 11 pm on Sunday. Many people took part in this procession with sticks.
During the procession, the decorations done for the local Awami League's representative meeting were vandalised. Apart from this, billboards with photos of Bangabandhu and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina erected at Kabi Nazrul Auditorium in Sylhet District and Awami League representative meeting place in Rikabibazar area were vandalised.
Leaders and activists of Awami League-Chhatra League and allied organisations held an immediate protest against the vandalism of photos of Bangabandhu and Sheikh Hasina. At that time, Chhatra League leaders and activists chased the Chhatra Dal. There were several chases and exchanges between the two sides.
Police reached the spot after receiving the information and brought the situation under control.
A case was filed by Awami League at Kotwali police station in the city on Tuesday around 12 o'clock over the incident.
"No one from BNP is involved in all the incidents that happened in the city after Kamal's murder. Everyone in the party is saddened by the death of our leader. In this situation, this case has been filed only for harassment," said Sylhet District BNP President Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday night, AFM Kamal's brother Moinul Haque named 10 people and filed a case with the city's airport police station in connection with Kamal's murder.
Police have so far arrested one person in this case.
