Dhallywood actor Zayed Khan has been accused of attempted murder following an attack on the motorcade of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia. He has been named as one of the 50 accused in the case. This issue has sparked widespread discussion across social media and various platforms, prompting the actor to break his silence.
On Monday, Zayed Khan spoke to the media, saying, “I have been accused of attacking the motorcade of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in 2015 and attempting to kill her. This case against me is completely false, baseless, and has no foundation.”
He added, “I am an artist of this country. I love Bangladesh, and I love the people of this country. No one can harass me with such false cases.”
The actor further stated, “My opinions and beliefs may differ but I am not involved in any anti-state activities. I have never engaged in any form of corruption or caused harm to anyone. As an artist, I have always tried to entertain people. Around a month before the anti-discrimination student movement, I was extremely busy with shows in Australia, Canada and America.”
“Currently, Dr. Yunus is the interim head of government and he is working with students to reform the country. I believe he will also look into these baseless cases,” he concluded.
Earlier, on Sunday, Asif Imam filed this case in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Zaki Al Farabi. The court accepted the plaintiff's statement and ordered the Motijheel Police to register the complaint as a First Information Report (FIR).
Other prominent accused in the case include Awami League leaders Sheikh Selim, Sheikh Helal, Colonel Faruk Khan, Fazle Noor Taposh, Nixon Chowdhury, Sayeed Khokon, former Information Minister and JSD president Hasanul Haq Inu, Workers Party President and former minister Rashed Khan Menon, BFF President Kazi Salahuddin and many more.
According to the complaint, on April 20, 2015, during an election campaign, the accused attacked BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's motorcade with the intent to kill her. The attackers vandalised 12-14 vehicles in her convoy, set fire to 4 motorcycles and assaulted party workers.
Khaleda Zia's security personnel were injured in the incident. The accused also threw bricks and stones at Khaleda Zia, injuring bystanders.
The complaint further alleges that around 200-300 armed members of the Awami League's 14-party alliance and its affiliated organisations carried out the attack, using indigenous weapons and detonating cocktails.
