Around 1,800 leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its associated bodies, including 31 central leaders, were sentenced to different terms in prison by different Dhaka courts ahead of the 12th parliamentary polls held on 7 January. Many of them were arrested and were released on bail later. However, a large section of the convicts are still in hiding.
According to relevant sources, the BNP activists started surrendering as the arrest spree came down after the elections.
As of 21 May, some 250 BNP activists have surrendered. Of them, 200 have been released on bail. And 26 of the 31 central BNP leaders, who were sentenced to different terms by the court, have been released. Five of them are still in prison.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, BNP’s law affairs secretary Kaiser Kamal said the BNP activists were sentenced to different terms one after another ahead of the polls. They are surrendering to the courts now. Many of them have secured bail. Many are still in prison.
Former Chhatra Dal president Abdul Quader Bhuiyan is one of those who surrendered. He was sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison in five cases. The verdicts in these cases were passed between 7 November and 23 December last year. He surrendered to the court on 17 April and sought bail. However, the court sent him to jail.
Following that, he moved to High Court challenging the verdict and secured bail in all the five cases. He was released on bail 21 May.
According to the lawyers and sources in the party, at least 250 BNP activists surrendered to the court and sought bail. At least 200 of them secured bail after serving one to one and a half months in jail. The remaining are still in prison.
Speaking to several lawyers of sentenced BNP leaders and activists, it has been learnt that the BNP activists started surrendering to the court since March, which increased in April.
Syed Nazrul Islam is the lawyer of at least 50 BNP activists who surrendered. He told Prothom Alo that many of his clients were released on bail before the Eid-ul-Fitr.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judge Court additional public prosecutor Taposh Kumar Pal said from 1 April to 21 May, some 82 BNP activists, who were sentenced to different terms, surrendered to the court and secured bail.
Relevant court sources say BNP joint secretary general Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel was sentenced to two years in prison by the court in two separate cases filed with the Paltan and New Market police stations on 20 November last year. He was sentenced to two years in prison in another case filed with the Paltan police station on 20 December.
He surrendered to the court on 31 March and appealed for bail. The court granted his bail plea and on 13 May he got out of jail on bail.
Jubo Dal president, Salauddin Tuku was sentenced to five years imprisonment in two separate cases. He surrendered to the court on 29 April and he was sent to jail. He is yet to secure bail.
His lawyer Nihar Hossain told Prothom Alo many of his clients were sentenced to different terms ahead of the national polls. At least 15 of them secured bail after surrendering.
According to lawyers and relevant court sources, a total of 52 BNP activists were sentenced to different terms in three cases filed with the Cantonment police station in September 2018. On 7 May, 17 of those convicts, including BNP leader Nayeem Hossain, surrendered to the court. They have been in prison since then.
Apart from that the court sentenced 32 BNP leaders and activists to two and a half years in prison each in a case filed with the Uttarkhan police station in September 2018. On 10 March, 12 of the convicts, including Jahangir Alam Bepari, surrendered to the court and secured bail.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Iltutmish Saudagar, lawyer of BNP leaders and activists, at least 25 BNP leaders and activists have surrendered to the court and got released on bail through him. Another lawyer, Mohammad Amirul Islam said some 30 of his clients were released on bail.
Sentenced central BNP leaders on bail
Before the 7-January elections, some 31 central leaders of the BNP, including three vice-chairman, an advisor of the chairperson and two joint secretary generals were sentenced by the court. Some 26 of them, including vice-chairmen Major (rtd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, Air Vice -Marshal (rtd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, Md Shahjahan and joint secretary general Syed Moazzem are on bail now. The remaining five central leaders of the party are still serving in jail.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, BNP assistant law affairs secretary Syed Jainul Abedin said, the senior leaders of the party had been subjected to prison terms from two to three months prior to the 12th parliamentary elections. The convicted leaders moved to the High Court as they didn’t get justice in the lower courts. Many of them are being granted bail after appealing.
From 20 November to 31 December last year, former Jubo Dal president Saiful Islam was sentenced to 17 years in prison all together in seven separate cases. He has appealed against the verdict passed by the lower court.
Jubo Dal organising secretary was sentenced in different terms in six separate cases. His lawyer Mahiuddin Chowdhury said Ishak secured bail after surrendering.
Most verdicts in December
According to the lawyers and relevant court sources, verdicts of around 140 cases filed against the BNP leaders and activists were passed in the five months prior to the national polls, including 80 in December, 45 in November, 9 in October and 2 in August. Besides, verdicts of four other cases were declared in January this year.
The BNP activists have been accused of holding rallies illegally, obstructing police from performing their duties, vandalising public transports, arson and cocktail explosion in most of these cases.
Several BNP central leaders were arrested following the violence that broke out cenetring the 28-October grand rally of BNP. Many of them were released on bail later.
Speaking regarding the cases, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told Prothom Alo, “BNP activists were sentenced to different terms in cases filed against them one after another ahead of the polls to keep them away from the general elections. Many of our leaders were arrested. Many of our activists, who were sentenced by the courts, went into hiding. Now they are surrendering and some of them have secured bail.”
*This report appeared on the print and online versions of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten in English by Ashish Basu