Ten BNP leaders including its acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir filed four separate petitions with the High Court yesterday seeking anticipatory bail in an arson case.

The case was filed with Paltan Model Police Station on December 29 for torching a government bus at the capital's Paltan intersection on December 28.

Police filed the case accusing 43 named and 20 to 25 unnamed party people of carrying out the arson attack with intent to deteriorate the law and order on the eve of a countrywide hartal called by the party-led alliance.

The nine other petitioners are Rafiqul Islam Mia, Mirza Abbas, Barkat Ullah Bulu, Amanullah Aman, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, AZM Zahid Hossain, Sultan SalauddinTuku, Saiful Islam Nirob and Shahidul Islam Babul, their lawyer Sagir Hossain Leon told The Daily Star.

He also said the HC might hear the petitions on Monday, the day of reopening of the court after its ongoing vacation.