The 24 suspects named in a case over the deadly skirmishes between Dhaka College students and New Market shopkeepers tried to ‘incite violence’ to take advantage of the situation, police say.
Police are scanning the footage from over 100 CCTV cameras in the area as part of their investigation, said Additional Commissioner Shahenshah of the New Market Zone of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
The Detective Branch and other law enforcers are also collecting video, he said.
“We found a lot of information in the video we have collected so far – including who was directly involved and who provoked them.”
Among the 24 people named in a case on charges of obstructing government activity, attacking police, throwing brickbats, vandalism and injuring others, is Advocate Maqbool Hossain, a former president of a BNP unit of the New Market Thana.
According to city corporation records, Maqbool is registered as the owner of the stores ‘Welcome’ and ‘Capital Fast Food’ – whose employees were involved in sparking the violence on Monday night.
However, Maqbool does not run either of the stores himself. Two men named Rafiqul Islam and Shahidul Islam rent them. The two men are relatives, reports bdnews24.com.
Maqbool Hossain claims that police have entangled him in the case ‘just because he is part of the BNP’.
The other suspects named in the case are Amir Hossain Alamgir, ‘Mizan’, ‘Tipu’, Haji Jahangir Hossain Patwary, Hassan Jahangir Mithu, Harun Howladar, Shah Alam Shantu, Shaheedul Islam Shaheed, Japani Faruk, Mizan Bapari, ‘Asif’, ‘Rahmat’, ‘Sumon’, ‘Jashim’, ‘Billal’, ‘Harun’, ‘Toha’, ‘Monir’, ‘Bachhu’, ‘Julhaz’, ‘Mithu’, ‘Mintu’, and ‘Babul’. They are activists of various BNP organisations in Ward-18.
Asked about the suspects, police official Shahenshah said: “They took advantage of the situation. The traders and students who were involved have been identified.”
The case filed by Inspector Yamin Kabir of New Market Police Station accused 200-300 unnamed traders and shop workers and 500-600 unnamed students in addition to the 24 named suspects.
Store owners say the employees of Welcome and Capital Fast Food got into an argument over their iftar food displays. At one point during the confrontation, one side called over some Chhatra League activists from the Dhaka College dormitories for support.
The activists were beaten, went back to their dormitories and returned with more students and attacked the shop workers.
Near the start of the skirmishes, CCTV video footage spread on social media showing three Chhatra League activists, whose names were later published in several media reports.
Asked about these individuals, police official Shahenshah said: “We have identified several members of both sides. More information about them will be released in the future.”