Dhaka: Police sought 80-day police custody for BNP chairperson’s adviser and journalists’ union leader Shawkat Mahmud in eight cases of violence filed with Paltan and Motijheel police stations.

Investigation officers (IOs) of the cases on Sunday filed separate petitions with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan seeking 10 days police custody in each case after showing him arrested in the cases, general recording officer (GRO) of the CMM court Aminur Rahman said.

The court fixed Monday for hearing the petitions, he said.

The cases–five with Paltan Police Station and three with Motijheel Police Station–were filed against Shawkat Mahmud on charge of vandalising and torching vehicles in January this year during hartal and blockade programmes enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Earlier, on Saturday, a court sent Shawkat Mahmud to jail on the expiry of his three-day police custody in an arson case filed with Ramna Police Station in Dhaka.

On 19 August, the court placed Shawkat Mahmud on three-day police custody after his arrest from in front of Samurai Convention Centre in the city’s Panthapath area on 18 August.