Dhaka: BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday alleged that their chairperson Khaleda Zia was taken to the makeshift court in Old Dhaka Central Jail ‘by force’.

He came up with the allegation while speaking at a discussion titled ‘EVM Boycott, National Election and Political Alliance’. Nagorik Oikya arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club.

‘Most of our lawyers didn’t go inside the court in the jail today (Wednesday). A few lawyers who had been there said the court was set up in a small and dark room where there’s no siting arrangement,’ Fakhrul said.

He further said, ‘Our leader (Khaleda) was taken there (court) in a wheelchair by force. She told the court to hold the trial keeping her in the jail room as she won’t get justice.’

On Tuesday, the government issued a gazette notification about shifting the makeshift court at Bakshibazar Alia Madrasah premises to Old Dhaka Central Jail to hold the trial of Zia Charitable Trust graft case.

As the trial proceedings in Zia Charitable Trust graft case in the newly set up makeshift court in the jail began, the authorities brought Khaleda to the court in a wheelchair around 12:15pm.

Fakhrul said it is unbelievable that the trial of Khaleda Zia’s case is being held in a small room of an abandoned jail. ‘It’s violation of the constitution and the existing law. We strongly condemn it.’

Referring to a newspaper report, he alleged that the government has been filing many ‘ghostly cases’ to implicate BNP leaders and activists in those ahead of the national election.

The main objective of such cases is to hold a lopsided election keeping opposition leaders and activists out of the race.