Rab frees Jokiganj UP leader amid protest

Leaders of all UPs and political parties came to Sylhet Rab office and got him released.

Harun requested Rab for a thorough investigation into the so-called arms recovery.

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Some sources in Jakiganj said there had been a rivalry for long between Harun and Sharif Ahmed Lashkar, an expatriate and BNP leader in the same area.

Harun's family members and neighbours earlier said, a Rab team called Harun out of his house at Biabail village at about 3 am on Sunday when he was asleep. They took him to the straw heap on the yard.

The Rab men brought out a plastic bag stashed in the straw heap earlier and asked Harun what it contained.

Harun said he did not know anything.

The Rab men then opened it and found one pistol, four bullets and five bombs in the bag. They took him to Sylhet Rab office.

As the news spread in the morning, people, led by leaders of all political parties and chairmen of all eight UPs brought out a procession in the upazila headquarter protesting the "conspiracy", held a rally and handed over a memorandum to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) demanding his immediate release.

The eight UP chairmen in the upazila boycotted Sunday's meeting of the Upazila Coordination Committee at the Upazila Parishad and said it would continue till Harun's release.

An all-party meeting was held on the same day protesting the incident. Upazila BNP Vice-President Badrul Haque Khosru, General Secretary Iqbal Ahmed and Organising Secretary AGM Joynal; Upazila Juba League Convener MAG Babor, Sechchhasebak League Convener Abdul Ahad and Upazila Jamat Amir Moulana Abdul Wahid, among others, spoke at the meeting.

Later, a procession was brought out in the upazila headquarters and a memorandum handed over to the UNO demanding his release within 24 hours.