Momin Mehedi, Shanta Farzana among six sent to jail over clashes with SDF

Photo: Collected

A Dhaka court on Wednesday sent six leaders of Notun Dhara Bangladesh (NDB), including its Chairman Momin Mehedi and his wife and Senior Vice-Chairman Shanta Farzana, to jail in a case filed over clashes with State Dialogue Forum (SDF) a day earlier.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Kamal Uddin passed the order, said Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqui.

The other accused are the party’s Vice-Chairman Dr Nurjahan Neera, Joint Secretary General Monir Zaman, Organising Secretary Atap Mondal, and Haridas Sarkar. The court sent them to jail after rejecting their bail petitions.

Meanwhile, the bail hearing of Momin and Shanta was not held as two advocates filed vakalatnamas (powers of attorney) in support of their bail petitions. The court sent the matter to the Bar Association for resolution and ordered that the accused be sent to jail.

According to the case documents, the accused, along with 50 to 60 unidentified individuals, allegedly engaged in anti-government activities and chanted provocative slogans while staging a procession in front of the National Press Club on Tuesday.

The accused allegedly attacked several activists of the July Uprising and members of State Dialogue Forum (SDF), including Al Nur Mohammad Ayas, with locally made weapons, sticks, steel pipes, chairs and hockey sticks when they protested against the demonstration.

The prosecution alleged that when the victims, including Ayas, went to Dhaka Medical College Hosptial for treatment, the accused attacked them there as well. Police later escorted the six detainees, including Shanta Farzana, to the police station under additional security.

The two rounds of clashes took place around 7pm and 8:30pm on Tuesday night, next to the National Press Club and inside the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, respectively.

Both sides accused the other of launching attacks.

The clashes allegedly erupted after NDB leaders made derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, religion and also July Martyr Abu Sayed.

SDF activists protested the remarks, leading to the two rounds of clashes. Afterwards, a case was file with the Shahbagh Police Station against NDB leaders.