179 BNP activists convicted in a single day

The court has sentenced 179 leaders and activists of the BNP and its associate bodies in five separate cases in a day on Thursday.

The BNP activists, who were sentenced to different terms by the court on Thursday, include former central president of Chhatra Dal Abdul Quader Bhuiyan, Jubo Dal organising secretary Ishak Sarker, former president of Dhaka north city Jubo Dal SM Jahangir and former assistant general secretary of Chhatra Dal Lutfor Rahman. Of them Ishak was convicted in two cases.

These five cases were filed in between 2013 and 2017 with the Paltan, Lalbagh, Kotwali and Uttara east police stations.

These cases were filed against the BNP leaders and activists on the allegations of holding rallies illegally, obstructing the police, vandalising vehicles, arson attacks and blasting crude bombs.

Earlier on Monday, a total of 68 BNP leaders and activists were convicted in five separate cases. Among them are BNP’s joint secretary general Habib Un Nabi Khan, information affairs secretary Azizul Bari, voluntary affairs secretary Mir Sarafat Ali and former Jubo Dal president Saiful Islam Nirob, current Jubo Dal president Sultan Salauddin, former general secretary Khandker Enamul Haque, former Chhatra Dal presidents Rajib Hasan and Habibur Rashid, former general secretary Akramul Hasan and Dhaka north city Chhatra Dal’s former president Abul Mansur Khan.

Before that, BNP vice chairman M Shahjahan, party chairperson’s advisor Habibur Rahman and several active leaders and activists of the party at the thana and ward level.

With this, a total of 542 leaders and activists of the BNP and its associate bodies have been sentenced in the last three months. Many of them are convicted in several cases.

According to the statement of the case filed by the police, a motorcycle was torched in front of the Care Point Hospital in the Azampur area of Uttara 10 years ago on 26 November 2013. Besides, a crude bomb was blasted there. The Uttara west police station filed a case as the plaintiff over the incident. Some 73 BNP activists, including the then president of Dhaka north city Jubo Dal SM Jahangir, were made accused in the case.

The police submitted the charge sheet against a total of 77 BNP activists, including Jahangir, on 31 December 2014.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate of the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court passed the verdict in the case sentencing 75 of the accused to two and half years in prison. Two of the accused were acquitted from the case. Three of the convicts, including Jahangir, are in prison at the moment. The court issued an arrest warrant against the remaining of the convicts in the case.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, SM Jahangir’s lawyer Syed Nazrul Islam told Prothom Alo that his client and other accused in the case didn’t get justice.

The police filed a case with the Lalbagh police station over a 'laguna' (small public transport) on fire in front of the Lalbagh Tower on 6 November 2013. CMM court magistrate Saiful Islam sentenced a total of 50 people to three years and three months of imprisonment in this case filed 10 years ago. None of the accused was present in the court during the announcement of the verdict. Therefore, the court issued arrest warrants against the accused.

The police submitted the charge sheet in this case on 31 May 2015. Some 75 BNP activists, including the then president of Lalbagh thana Sramik Dal Md Faisal, were made accused in the case. Seven people testified in court in this case. Four of them were members of the police.

A case was filed with the Paltan police station on the allegation of carrying out an attack on the police six years ago. The court has sentenced 36 BNP activists, including former Chhatra Dal president Abdul Quader Bhuiyan and Jubo Dal organising secretary Ishak Sarker, to three and a half years in prison in this case. Dhaka CMM Court magistrate Mohammed Sheikh Sadi passed the verdict yesterday, Thursday.

According to the case statement, around 40-50 activists of BNP and its associate bodies blocked the road in front of Hotel Victory in the capital’s Naya Paltan area at around 8:00 pm on 31 October 2017. The police urged them to keep the traffic normal. However, the BNP leaders and activists hurled brickbats at the police in response. Three police members were injured in the incident.

The police submitted the charge sheet of the case filed over this incident accusing 37, including Quader. The court framed charges against the accused on 4 June. Some six of the 26 witnesses mentioned in the charge sheet testified in the court against the accused.

The court started recording the deposition of the witnesses on 17 July, which ended on 9 November. After the arguments and hearings, the court sentenced 36 of the accused Thursday.

Iltutmish Saudagar, Abdul Quader Bhuiyan’s lawyer, said he will appeal against the verdict to the High Court.

Another case was filed against the leaders and activists of BNP with the Paltan police station on 8 January 2015. A bus was torched in front of the north gate of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. After investigation, the police submitted the charge sheet accusing seven leaders and activists of the BNP. The charge sheet mentioned 14 witnesses. However, the state produced three of the witnesses before the court.

CMM Court magistrate Mohammad Sheikh Sadi sentenced the seven accused to two and half years in prison yesterday.

The police filed a case with the Kotwali police station citing an explosion of crude bomb in the capital’s Babubazar area on 8 March 2015. Jubo Dal organising secretary Ishak Sarker and 12 others were made accused in the case. After the investigation, the police submitted the charge sheet to the court accusing 20 people. The court framed the charges against the accused in the case on 29 July 2018. The deposition of the eye witnesses in the case started on 14 August and ended on 12 October. Some 12 of the 15 witnesses mentioned in the charge sheet testified against the accused in the court.

Judge Md Mamunur Rahman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Special Tribunal-10 sentenced 12 of the accused to seven years in prison on Thursday. The rest of the accused were acquitted from the case.

Speaking regarding the conviction spree against BNP leaders and activists to Prothom Alo, the party’s international affairs secretary and Supreme Court lawyer Masud Ahmed Taluder told Prothom Alo that the leaders and activists of the party are not getting justice in the court. Those, who are in the frontline of the ongoing anti-government movement, are being convicted, he alleged.