Clash in Gulistan: Court cancels two ex-BCL mens' bail

A Dhaka court yesterday cancelled bail of two expelled Chhatra League (BCL) leaders and issued warrants for their arrest in an attempt to murder case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Khurshid Alam, who on November 17 granted them bail, issued the arrest orders as they remained absent from yesterday's court proceedings.

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Dhaka city south BCL unit general secretary Sabbir Hossain and Wari unit general secretary Ashiqur Rahman were seen firing during the October 27 clash between staff of Dhaka South City Corporation and hawkers in Gulistan.

They surrendered to the court and secured bail on November 17 at a time when Shahbagh police were “searching for them”. Police apparently did not know that they got bail.

In the bail order, the magistrate said the accused were granted bail as the charges brought against them were not specific. They were granted bail against a bond of Tk 3,000 each with two guarantors.

Both the leaders were expelled for violating organisational discipline.

Yesterday, Sub-inspector of Shahbagh Police Station Emranul Islam, the investigation officer of the case, submitted a seven-day remand prayer for quizzing them on the incident of firing shots.

But the ex-BCL leaders were absent from the hearing. Their lawyer Salauddin Yusuf showed them present in the documents submitted to the court, but as the magistrate asked where they were he said his clients had met him at the court but he could not find them right at the moment. 

The court then ordered the officer-in-charge of Shahbag police to submit by January 8 next year a report on execution of the arrest warrants.    

A hearing on the remand prayer will be held after their arrest or surrender, it added.

On October 27, a clash broke out in Gulistan when a city corporation team launched a drive to remove illegal makeshift shops from pavements and the underpass market area. The clash left 10 people, including two corporation employees, injured.

During the clash, Sabbir and Ashiqur were seen firing in the air. The picture of the two brandishing guns appeared in the media the next day.

Three days later, SI Abdul Mannan of Shahbagh Police Station filed the case against the two and 50 to 60 unnamed people.