NCP leader Tareq Reza gets bail in Chhatra Dal case; plainclothes police reportedly picked up co-accused
Chhatra Dal leaders denied any involvement in the initial incident, with Islamic University JCD Convener Sahed Ahmed claiming that angry locals threw eggs spontaneously because Patwary had been making offensive public remarks about senior BNP leaders
A Jhenaidah court today (25 May) granted bail to National Citizen Party (NCP) Central Joint Member Secretary Tareq Reza in a case filed by a former leader of the Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal. However, the same court rejected the bail petition of Ayon Rahman Khan, an organiser of the Jatiyo Jubo Shokti, who remains in detention under the same political lawsuit.
The courtroom developments occurred amid allegations from the NCP central office that a second key accused in the case, identified as Ashik, was picked up in plainclothes by the Detective Branch (DB) of police in Jashore last night and remains missing.
According to updates disclosed by NCP Joint Member Secretary (Office) Salehuddin Sifat, the party's legal wing has taken up a permanent station on the Jhenaidah court premises to monitor the situation and move a separate bail petition for Ashik.
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Sifat stated that while the police continue to deny detaining Ashik, statutory laws mandate that law enforcement agencies must produce any detained individual before a court within 24 hours of arrest.
A panel of defence lawyers -- including NCP Legal Secretary Advocate Zahirul Islam Musa, Assistant Legal Secretary Advocate Humayra Nur, Advocate Arman Hossain, Advocate Zayed Bin Naser, Advocate Mominul Hasan, and Advocate Ismail Hossain -- conducted the legal hearings on behalf of Tareq Reza and Ayon Rahman Khan.
The legal battle stems from a series of violent political altercations and subsequent counter-lawsuits.
The initial unrest broke out on 22 May, in front of the Pouro Collectorate Jame Mosque opposite the deputy commissioner's residence, following Juma prayers.
NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary and at least 16 other party activists were injured when alleged members of Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal launched an assault using hockey sticks, bricks, and stones, following an initial incident where Patwary was pelted with eggs.
The attackers also allegedly snatched mobile phones, cameras, and wallets from the NCP activists, prompting Patwary and Tareq Reza to seek shelter inside the Jhenaidah Sadar Police Station, which was subsequently surrounded by a protesting JCD procession reportedly demanding Patwary be handed over.
In the immediate aftermath of the clash, a cycle of conflicting cases was registered with the local police.
On that night, Tareq Reza filed a case naming 123 district JCD leaders -- including district unit President Imran Hossain, former president SM Saminuzzaman Samin, and General Secretary Shahriar Russell -- alongside 110 to 115 unidentified individuals.
Conversely, Chhatra Dal leaders denied any involvement of the party, with Kushtia's Islamic University JCD Convener Sahed Ahmed claiming that angry locals threw eggs spontaneously because Patwary had been making offensive public remarks about senior BNP leaders during his regional tours.
The legal tables turned the next day, when former district JCD president Enamul Kabir filed a retaliatory case naming 22 leaders of the NCP and the Student Against Discrimination platform, including Tareq Reza, alongside 60 unnamed individuals.
Following the filing of Kabir's case, Jhenaidah DB police arrested Ayon Rahman Khan. Tareq Reza was subsequently arrested at around 6:30pm yesterday in front of the Family Zone Community Center on Kabi Sukanta Road, where the district NCP unit had organised a press conference specifically to protest Ayon's detention.
