Shawdesh desk:

A Dhaka court on Sunday framed charges against seven leaders of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, including BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a vandalism case filed around 11 years back.

Dhaka’s additional chief metropolitan magistrate Tofazzal Hossain passed the order after turning down a petition seeking acquittal of the accused.

The court fixed September 20 for recording testimony of witnesses, said defendant’s lawyer Hannan Bhuiyan.

The other includes BNP’s senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Juba Dal leaders Azizul Bari Helal, Saiful Islam Nirob, Moazzem Hossain alias Babu, Kazi Rezaul Hoque Babu alias Zim Babu, Khandakar Enamu Hoque Enam and Jamaat’s Dhaka south unit general secretary Shafiqul Islam Masud.

Advocates Masud Talukdar and Joynal Abedin Mejbah stood for the accused and public prosecutor Abdullah Abu represented the state.

According to the case statement, a group of 200-250 people led by Mirza Fakhrul and Rizvi halted a garbage vehicle of Dhaka South City Corporation and exploded cocktails when it was heading towards Bijaynagar from Kakrail on December 9, 2012.

Later, they beat up the vehicle’s helper and vandalised it.

On the same day, a case was filed against the accused with Paltan Model Police Station in this regard.

Investigation officer of the case Anowar Hossain submitted charge-sheet on October 23, 2017.