Charges against Khokon ridiculous: Fakhrul

Dhaka, Nov 9 — The BNP acting secretary-general finds ridiculous charges against party's Narsingdi unit chief Khairul Kabir Khokon in connection with torching of a train and vandalism at a dak bungalow following the killing of local mayor Lokman Hossain.

"The dak bungalow was vandalised in the night of the incident when Khokon was in Dhaka and the train was torched when he was reporting to the jail super. So, linking him with the two cases is totally ridiculous," Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a press briefing on Wednesday.

He said the party will organise a rally in front of the party's Naya Paltan headquarters on Saturday morning in protest against the accusation of Khokon in the twin cases.

Fakhrul said it was clear like that "top level of the government" is directly involved with Lokman's murder.

"Lokman's family and local leaders of the ruling party have pointed fingers at a minister over the murder," he said.

Although Lokman's family filed a case against 14 people, police had failed to arrest anyone until now, he added.

The 43-year-old mayor was shot dead by masked gunmen in front of the local Awami League office in the night of Nov 1. Soon after, Narsinghdi police picked up Khokon from his residence in the capital's Khilgaon area.

Showing him arrested under the Article 54 of the Bangladesh Penal Code over the killing, police had pleaded to the court for his remand on Nov 3.

Following the shootout, enraged residents of the area vandalised the local dak bungalow and blocked the Dhaka-Sylhet highway. Intercity train Egarosindhur Express was set on fire in Narsingdi town on the following day during the 72-hour demonstration enforced by the ruling party's student body Bangladesh Chhatra League protesting the murder.

The cases were filed on Nov 4 by railway authorities.

Lokman's brother Kamruzzaman on Nov 3 filed a murder case against telecommunication minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju's brother Salahuddin Ahmed Bachchu and 13 others, mostly ruling Awami League members, over his brother's death.

In the wake of the murder, Narsingdi superintendent of police (SP) Akkas Uddin Bhuiyan, additional SP (Special Branch) Enamul Kabir and additional SP Bijay Basak were "withdrawn" the following day.

FROM:bdnews24.com