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Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) believes National Citizen Party (NCP) chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary should be questioned over his recent remarks about crude bomb explosions in the capital.
DMP Joint Commissioner (Crime Prevention, South) Mohammad Tofail Ahmed Mia made the comments at a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre on Minto Road on Friday.
Asked about Patwary’s recent statement that there would be no more crude bomb explosions in Dhaka if the government met the NCP’s three main demands, Tofail said the NCP leader should be questioned about why he made the remark.
“I think he should definitely be questioned,” he said.
Asked whether police could question Patwary, the DMP official said the decision would be taken by senior police officials.
Patwary’s comments came amid a series of crude bomb explosions in Dhaka in recent days. Police have arrested several people in connection with the incidents, including four over explosions outside Jatrabari Police Station on September 18. Police said one of the arrested men is an Awami League leader and alleged that the other three are also active members of the party.
The Jatrabari blasts injured an autorickshaw driver, while police later recovered four unexploded crude bombs from a building in Lalbagh based on information obtained during the investigation.
Dhaka detectives have also said they uncovered evidence of a network allegedly offering Tk 5,000 to Tk 10,000 for each crude-bomb explosion. According to police, instructions were sent through WhatsApp accounts registered with Indian phone numbers, although the investigation into those claims is ongoing.
Earlier, Prime Minister’s Political Assistant Rashed Khan had also called for Patwary’s arrest and questioning, saying investigators should determine whether he had information about those behind the recent explosions and arson attacks.
NCP sources, however, said Patwary’s remarks were intended to mean that if the government’s demands were met, people associated with banned organisations would no longer have the confidence to carry out such activities.
According to the party, Patwary was referring to the implementation of the July Charter and the prosecution of those responsible for violence. His remarks were not intended to suggest that the NCP had any connection with the crude-bomb explosions, the sources said.