Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court in Dhaka on Thursday placed Azizul Bari Helal, Information Affairs Secretary of BNP and its 57 leaders and activists on different terms of remand in three cases filed with Ramna and Shahbagh police stations for assaulting policemen, vandalising vehicles and preventing on duty policemen from discharging their duties and snatching two BNP activists from a police van.
Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ahsan Habib passed the remand order after rejecting their bail prayers.
Twelve 12 women activists were sent to jail by the same court.
The court granted five days remand to 31 BNP men including Azizul Bari Helal and another on one-day remand in Ramna police station case while 26 BNP men were put on a two-day remand it two cases of Shahbagh police station.
Among prominent BNP leaders who would face police custody are Shantanu Islam Sumit, Executive member of BNP central Committee Hasan Mamun, leaders Faruqul Islam Selim and Hafiz Al Mamun.
Some 200 BNP men were rounded up in a two-day drive in the city in connection with three cases following Tuesday's incident in front of High Court when the BNP Chief Khaleda Zia was returning home after appearing in graft cases at a makeshift court at old Dhaka.
Police on Thursday produced 70 BNP men before the court with a plea to grant a ten-day remand.
Assistant Commi-ssioner (prosecution) of police, Mirash Uddin strongly pleaded before the court to allow the remand plea. On the other hand, a large number of pro-BNP lawyers including Adv Sanaullah Miah and Zia Uddin Zia pleaded before the court to annul the remand plea.
On Wednesday Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court sent standing committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy to jail, rejecting his bail prayer in a case filed with Ramna Police Station.
On the day the court placed 54 BNP men on a two-day remand in three cases filed with Ramna and Shahbagh police stations. Gayeshwar was arrested from in front of Police Plaza on Tuesday night while the other BNP leaders from different parts of Dhaka city. Three cases have been filed against several hundred BNP men, including Gayeshwar, over Tuesday's incident near the High Court in the capital.
Two cases were filed with Shahbagh Police Station last night for attacking a prison van near the High Court while another was filed with Ramna Police Station for beating up policemen and vandalising vehicles.
The incident occurred in the afternoon while the motorcade of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was crossing the High Court area on her way to Gulshan residence from a makeshift court in Old Dhaka.
Abul Hossain, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shahbagh Police Station, said around 700 to 800 activists and leaders of BNP have been implicated in the cases.
Another case was filed with Ramna Police Station, according to DC Maruf Hossain.
Police arrested a large number of peoples during a clash with agitating BNP activists who took away weapons and other protective gears from them on Tuesday.
Police said Gayeshwar was arrested as he instigated BNP activists to launch protests against the trial of Khaleda after the court set February 8 for the verdict in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case. The member of BNP standing committee had threatened to topple the government.
Hundreds of BNP men swooped on police yesterday and snatched away some of their fellows who were detained. In the process, three policemen were injured and a prison van vandalised.
