Habiganj police sue 2,000 BNP leaders

HABIGANJ, Dec 24 (UNB): Police have sued 2,00 BNP leaders and workers on Thursday over violence during a rally here on Wednesday.

Sub-Inspector of Habiganj police station Nazmul Hasan filed the case against 65 identified persons including Abdul Hashem, district unit convener of BNP, Senior Joint Convener GK Gaus, said Masuk Ali, Officer-in-Charge of Habiganj police station.

In the cases on Thursday allegations of obstructing government duty, use of bricks and local arms to attack police, breaking windows of municipal and district council building, vandalising police vehicles, blocking roads were brought against the BNP leaders and activists, said OC Masuk.

GK Gaus, Senior Joint Convener of BNP said, "Police vandalised our stage and now they are harassing us by filling false cases."

On Wednesday, witnesses said police prevented BNP leaders and activists from setting up a stage for their scheduled rally and blocked the road in front of the house of central BNP leader GK Gaus in the Shaistanagar area of the city since morning.

As the leaders and activists of the party and associate bodies gathered in the district town and tried to go to the rally venue, police obstructed them, triggering a clash.

The BNP activists threw stones towards police forcing them to charge batons, lob teargas shells and fire several rounds of bullets, to bring the situation under control.

At one stage, police were forced to retreat for some time in the face of strong resistance by a huge number of BNP protesters.