10 BNP men sentenced in explosion case

Ten leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have been sentenced to two years and seven months in jail for detonating a crude bomb in the capital's Banani area in September 2018.

Abdul Alim Noki, joint convener of the party's Dhaka City (North) Unit, is also among the convicts.

Magistrate Sheikh Sadi of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) court in Dhaka handed down the verdict on Tuesday, said Emran Hossain, a bench assistant of the court.

The other convicts are Mehedi Hasan Mishu, Mizan Byapari, Muhabbat Ali Molla, Aminul Islam Himel, Abdullah al Mamun, Joynal Abedin, Rokon Sheikh, Gias Uddin, and Shafiqul Islam.

The convicts were not present at the dock during the verdict, and the court issued arrest warrants against them.

Taherul Islam, lawyer for Abdul Alim Noki, said they were sentenced in a case recorded in September 2018. He declared to challenge the verdict in the High Court, as the BNP men were not served justice at the CMM court.

According to the case statement, the BNP men gathered in front of the Prasad Trade Centre on Kamal Ataturk Avenue on 19 September, 2018, in the pretext of holding a human chain. They created panic in the area, vandalising passing vehicles and detonating crude bombs. On information, the police went to the spot, prompting the BNP men to leave the area.

Later, Milton Dutta, sub-inspector of Banani police station, filed the case accusing 49 BNP men, including Abdul Alim Noki.