Police have filed a case against another 150 leaders and activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party for planning sabotage ahead the party’s divisional mass rally in Rajshahi on December 3.

Sub-inspector Shahriar Nasim of the Bagha police station on Saturday night filed the case against six named leaders and activists, including Dostul Hossain, president of the Pakuria union BNP unit, and 145 unnamed others, said Sazzad Hossain, officer-in-charge of the police station.

He said that they came to know that BNP leaders and activists gathered at the Kishorepur High School playground in Pakuria union under the upazila at 9:30pm on Saturday night to plan acts of sabotage.

‘When, along with police force, I went there, the BNP leaders and workers started pelting us with brick chips and cocktails [homemade bombs],’ he said.

The OC said that the BNP men fled after additional police rushed to the spot and chased them. ‘We have recovered four fresh cocktails, hundreds of bamboo and wooden sticks on the spot,’ he added.

Contacted, Golam Mostafa Mamun, former organising secretary of the Rajshahi district BNP unit and member of the district convening committee, told New Age that police filed what he said the false case only to harass the party leaders and activists ahead of the party’s Rajshahi divisional rally.

Earlier, police filed three separate cases against a total of 750 BNP leaders and activists with Mohonpur, Bagmara and Godagari police stations in the past six days for planning sabotage.

Meanwhile, police have closed the office of Gopalpur municipality BNP unit in Lalpur upazila of Natore district following what they claimed the recovery of abandoned cocktails and petrol bombs in front of the party office on Thursday night.

The BNP Gopalpur municipality unit would remain closed for the time being due to security issues, said Boraigram Circle additional superintendent of police Sharif Al Rajib.

He said that they, based on the information given by the local people, went to the municipality BNP office and recovered explosive-like cocktails and petrol bombs in front of the office.

Natore BNP acting convener Shahidul Islam termed the recovery of cocktails in front the municipality BNP office as a ‘drama’ staged by the Awami League and police.

He also alleged that Juba League activists vandalised chairs and tables of the office three days ago.

In Chapainawabganj, two policemen were reportedly injured in a cocktail explosion at a Chhatra Dal rally under Nachole upazila on Sunday afternoon.

Mintu Rahman, officer-in-charge of the Nachole police station, told New Age that without taking permission from them, Chhatra Dal organized a rally on the Oxford Academy premises in Srirampur area under the upazila on Sunday afternoon.

‘As soon as police reached the spot, Chhatra Dal leaders and activists threw a cocktail targeting the police. Later, police charged batons and dispersed them,’ he said.

Mintu Rahman claimed that constables Alamgir Hossain and Palash Uddin received injuries in the cocktail attack and were taking treatment at Nachole Upazila Health Complex.

They recovered cocktails from the spot, he said, adding that the processing of filing a case in this connection was underway.

Contacted, Chapainawabganj district Chhatra Dal former president Hasan Imtiaz said that they organised the rally to make the Rajshahi divisional mass rally a success. ‘Chhatra Dal men left the venue before the rally started,’ he said.