96 including Jamaat Ameer, Secretary indicted in sabotage case

Court Correspondent :
A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against 96 leaders and activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir in a case filed over torching vehicles and preventing police men from discharging their duties in 2012.

Metropolitan Magistrate Saiful Islam of Dhaka CMM Court passed the order on Wednesday.

Jamaat Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman and Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, a former lawmaker from Khulna-5, are among the accused.

Dr Shafiqur Rahman and Golam Parwar, now in jail, and 78 others, who are on bail, pleaded not guilty of the changes and demanded justice after Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Saiful Islam read out the charges to them.

Before that, the court dismissed the petitions submitted by the accused for relieving them of the charges.

Eighteen other accused have been on the run since the case was filed against them.

Charges were framed against them in their absence.

The court issued arrest warrants against them.

Besides, the court fixed September 17 to start the trial of the case.

According to the case document, a group of leaders and activists of Jamaat-Shibir, led by Mia Golam Parwar, held a rally in front of Hotel Motijheel in the capital around 10:00am on November 5, 2012 to protest the arrest of Jamaat central leaders.

At one stage, they allegedly vandalized several vehicles and torched two motorbikes.

Following the incident, Sub-Inspector Mizanur Rahman Sumon filed the case against 62 people, including Golam Parwar, with Motijheel Police Station under the Sabotage Act.

After investigation, Sub-Inspector Awal Hossain, and also the Investigation Officer of the case, on September 30 of the current year, submitted the charge sheet against Golam Parwar and 96 others citing their involvement in the incident.