A Dhaka court on Tuesday issued a warrant for the arrest of BNP vice-chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka and eight others in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act. Judge of the Metropolitan Sessions’ Judge Court Jahurul Haque passed the order after taking cognisance of charge-sheet in the case. The court also fixed February 11 for police to submit a report on the execution of the arrest warrant. Court sources said Khoka, also former mayor of undivided Dhaka City Corporation, and eight BNP activists did not appear before the court during hearing on Tuesday. On October 27, 2013, sub-inspector Raju Ahmed of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station filed the case against 13 named 12 unnamed BNP leaders and activists on charge of exploding bombs in front of gate-1 of the Election Commission Secretariat at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on the day with a motive to kill the EC staff members. The bomb attack was carried out at the order of Khoka, Jubo Dal president Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal and its general secretary Saiful Alam Nirob, according to the case statement. SI Mashiur Rahman of the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police, also investigation officer of the case, submitted charge-sheet against 23 BNP men before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka on April 7 this year. –UNB, Dhaka.
