The police have filed four cases with Gopalganj sadar police station against 5,400 unnamed people over the killings of four people, out of five, in the July 16 violence in Gopalganj town centering the National Citizen Party rally.
The cases were filed Saturday night, alleging that the accused persons, armed with deadly weapons and in furtherance of a common intention, were involved in the murders, according to Gopalganj sadar police inspector for investigation Abdullah Al Mamun.
They were also accused of unlawful assembly, rioting, obstructing public servants in the discharge of public functions, and committing assault to deter public servants from discharge of their duties, he said.
The district administration, meanwhile, lifted curfew and section 144 from 8:00pm on Sunday, said a home ministry official.
With the latest four cases, the number of cases over the July 16 violence in Gopalganj town has reached eight and the total number of accused to 8,384, according to the police.
At least five people were killed in the clash between Awami League and its front organisations鈥� leaders and activists and the law enforcement agencies following an attack on the NCP leaders鈥� motorcade allegedly by the AL and its front bodies鈥� activists in the district on July 16.
The deceased are Ramjan Kazi, 17, Dipta Saha, 27,聽 Sohel Rana, 30, Emon Talukder, 17, and Ramjan Munshi, 32, all residents of different areas in Gopalganj district town.
Gopalganj sadar police station sub-inspector Ayub Ali filed a case against 800-900 unnamed people over the killing of Ramjan Kazi, sub-inspector Shahim Hossain filed a case against 1400-1500 unnamed people over the killing of Dipta Saha, SI Abul Kalam Azad filed a case against 1400-1500 unnamed people over the killing of Sohel Rana, and SI Mizanur Rahman filed a case against 1400-1500 unnamed people over the killing of Emon Talukder, according to the police.
鈥楾he unnamed people who were made accused in the cases were mentioned as miscreants,鈥� inspector Abdullah Al Mamun said on Sunday.
Rickshaw peddler Ramjan Munshi of the Thanapara area in Gopalganj town, who sustained bullet injury during the July 16 violence, died at about 1:45am on July 18 while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. No case has been filed so far in connection with his death.
Of the five victims, an autopsy of only Ramjan Munshi was conducted at the DMCH morgue.
The government claimed that the bodies of four other deceased persons in Gopalganj violence were taken away by a group of unruly people from Gopalganj District Hospital at about 7:30pm on July 16.
The families of the victims later denied the government鈥檚 claim and told the media that the hospital authorities did not take any move to conduct autopsies.
Gopalganj 250 Bed General Hospital authorities said that the opinions of the families of the victims, shared in social media platforms and some news outlets, claiming that the authorities did not conduct autopsy were completely false and baseless, the chief adviser鈥檚 press wing shared the hospital authorities鈥� statement.
Talking to reporters following the core committee meeting on law and order at the secretariat on Sunday, home adviser Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that the army opened fire in Gopalganj on July 16 due to the prevailing situation at that time.
The Inter Services Public Relation Directorate in a release on July 17 said that the army was compelled to use force at one point in self-defence in Gopalganj as attackers threw a huge number of crude bombs and brick bats at them, though the army tried to contain the attackers by making announcements several times using the public announcement system.
The ISPR, however, did not mention what kind of force they used in the July 16 clash in Gopalganj town.
Home adviser Jahangir also said that section 144, imposed in Gopalganj district following clashes between Awami League activists and the law enforcement agencies, would be lifted gradually.
鈥榃hoever commits wrongdoing will be arrested. No wrongdoer will be spared, and no innocent person will be arrested,鈥� the adviser said.
Denying allegations of mass arrests in Gopalganj, he said that only those who committed crimes were being detained.
When journalists informed that nine children were reportedly detained in Gopalganj, Jahangir said that he had no such information.
聽On Sunday, the Higher Secondary Certificate examination was held in Gopalganj, though section 144 restricting public gatherings was in effect there.
Earlier, at least 2,984 people were made accused in four cases filed by the police with three police stations, including two with the Gopalganj sadar police station, one with Kotalipara police station and another with Kashiani police station, between Thursday and Friday. The cases were filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009 and the Special Powers Act, 1974.
The interim government on May 12 banned all activities of the Awami League and its affiliated, allied, and like-minded organisations until the completion of their trials at the International Crimes Tribunal.
During the Gopalganj violence on July 16, a police vehicle was torched, the upazila nirbahi officer was attacked, cocktails were exploded, brickbats were hurled, and the NCP rally venue and motorcade were attacked.
The police fired rubber bullets, hurled sound grenades, and lobbed tear gas shells while members of the Bangladesh Army opened fire in the air to disperse Awami League activists and to save the NCP leaders, according to the law enforcement agencies.