A Dhaka court on Wednesday acquitted three BNP leaders, including Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, of charges related to inciting students to create unrest during the 2018 road safety movement.
The other two acquitted leaders are BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi and Standing Committee Member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury. Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mahbubul Haque issued the order after the defence lawyers submitted an application, citing the complainant's absence in court over several sessions.
In their application, the defence informed the court that the complainant, AB Siddique, president of the pro-Awami League Jananetri Parishad, had passed away. They argued that the case should be dismissed and the accused should be acquitted.
AB Siddique had filed the case on August 6, 2018, in the Court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate HM Toaha, following a viral audio clip of a phone conversation between Amir Khasru and an unknown individual, allegedly discussing ways to intensify the ongoing student protests.
After investigating, Tejgaon Police Station Inspector Mohammad Sentu Miah, the investigation officer, submitted a probe report on February 6, 2019. The report claimed that the charges against the three BNP leaders were initially proven, recommending their trial for allegedly inciting students to cause disorder.
The protests began on July 29, 2018, after two students from Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College, Dia Khanam Mim and Abdul Karim Rajib, were killed by a Jabal-e-Noor bus in a reckless competition with another bus on Airport Road.
On December 1, 2019, a separate Dhaka court sentenced two Jabal-e-Noor drivers, Masum Billah and Jubayer Sumon, along with bus helper Asad Kazi, to life imprisonment for the deaths of the two students.
