Bangladeshi court sends 33 opposition stalwarts to jail

Dhaka: A Dhaka court on Wednesday sent to jail 33 stalwarts of main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and BNP-led 18-party alliance partners as they appeared with bail petitions after being charged for masterminding violence during an opposition enforced stoppage last month.

Witnesses said BNP's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other leaders were denied bail as they appeared at the heavily guarded court complex at downtown Dhaka being flanked by nearly 100 lawyers.

They said police in riot gears chased opposition activists as they turned violent after the court order as Alamgir and other leaders were whisked to prison vans which took them to high security Dhaka Central jail under heavy security escorts.

Television footages showed Alamgir and other leaders chanted anti-government slogans as police struggled to escort them to prison vans scuffling with supporters while hours after development in the court BNP called a nationwide general strike to protest their imprisonment.

"The undemocratic actions and defiance of rule of law forces us to call a programme like hartal (general strike) . . . we call upon the countrymen to observe a daylong total strike," BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan told a press conference.

Suspected activists set fire to four vehicles in the capital and in suburban Savar hours after the opposition leaders landed in jail while reports from northwestern Thakurgaon and Rangpur, southwestern Barisal and Bhola said angry activists took to the street and clashed with police prompting the law enforcement agency men to use batons and tear gas canisters.

Alamgir and the others surrendered before the court in line with a High Court directive as they were charged for masterminding particularly for torching a passenger bus in front of prime minister's office during an opposition enforced nationwide stoppage on April 29 over the mysterious disappearance of BNP organizing secretary Ilias Ali last month.

The 33 leaders included BNP stalwarts and former ministers Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, MK Anwar MP, Brigadier Geneneral (retd) Hannan Shah, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy and former mayors of Dhaka Sadeque Hossain Khoka and Mirza Abbas.

The court, however, ordered the "division" or privileged status inside the prison for the leaders.

Witnesses said the opposition leaders' counsels including Moudud Ahmed and Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia told the court that the case against the 18-party leaders was "politically motivated and false" as they sought their bail order.

But public prosecutor Abu Abdullah vehemently opposed their argument saying their prayer should be rejected as the accused masterminded crimes like arson to destabilize the country in the name of political movement.

The prosecution lawyer said five people lost their lives as the opposition enforced nationwide stoppage and if granted bail they would carryout subversive activities in the name of the anti-government street campaign.