25 jailed over arson, vandalism during Mirpur eviction drive

A Dhaka court on Thursday sent 25 accused to jail in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act over arson attacks on city corporation vehicles, vandalism of a police vehicle, attacks on police members and obstruction of official duties in the capital’s Mirpur.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ripon Hossain passed the order after a hearing, said Prosecution Division Sub-Inspector Rafiqul Islam.

The accused are Md Rubel, 42, Md Kawsar, 21, Md Faruk, 36, Fazle Rabbi, 19, Sayed Alam, 45, Israfil alias Rahim, 25, Kabir, 26, Anwar Hossain, 42, Md Selim, 42, Jahangir Alam, 45, Siam, 22, Md Junaid, 21, Md Sujon, 36, Md Rajib, 26, Sifatullah, 22, Fazle Rabbi, 20, Noman, 19, Jihad, 19, Md Kashem, 42, Md Arif Sheikh, 19, Md Abdul Kader, 28, Md Zahir Sheikh, 35, Mosadekur Rahman alias Maruf, 21, Ratul Sheikh, 18, and Md Tajul Islam, 48.

Earlier, the investigating officer, Mirpur Model Police Station Sub-Inspector Md Shamsuddoha, produced the accused before the court and sought their detention in jail. Defence lawyers sought bail for the accused, which the court denied, and sent them to jail.

According to the case documents, an eviction drive against illegal structures on footpaths began around 10:00am on 30 September in the Mirpur area of Dhaka North City Corporation.

Around 11:00am, an electrical wire was disconnected by an excavator, causing a fire while illegal shops beside Baitul Quddus Jame Mosque were being evicted, according to the case documents.

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Police said the arrested accused and unidentified others gathered over the incident and attempted to destabilise the situation by chanting slogans accusing the authorities of deliberately setting fire to the shops of the street vendors.

According to police, the agitators set fire to two city corporation vehicles, vandalised a bus and also attacked a pickup van assigned to Special-71 duty, injuring several police members.

The report further said the accused, in collusion with each other, gathered in the area with the intention of disrupting law and order, creating fear and panic among the public, obstructing police duties, injuring police members, and vandalising and damaging the government pickup van.