11 Tangail BNP-Jamaat men sent to jail on surrender

Eleven BNP-Jamaat men were sent to jail on Monday in a case for vandalising vehicles at Ghatail upazila headquarters during the countrywide blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance on January 11 this year.

They surrendered before the Court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Aminul Islam and sought bail. The magistrate rejected the bail prayer and sent them to jail.

They are Rezaul Karim, general secretary of Ghatail upazila unit of BNP, Ekhlas Hossain Shamim, organising secretary of the unit,  Faruque Hossain, general secretary of BNP Ghatail municipality unit, Shamim Sarkar, organising secretary of the unit, Rafiqul Islam Dulal, President of Jubo Dal upazila unit, Shahidul Islam Bhuiyan, president  of Jubo Dal municipality uni, Abdul Jalil, organising secretary of the unit, Afzal Hossain, convenor of Ghatail GBG College unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), Rony Miah, joint convenor of the unit, Rubel Miah, JCD municipality unit joint convenor and Jamaat activist Aslam Hossain.

According to the case statement, the leaders and activists of BNP-Jamaat and their associate bodies vandalised several vehicles in the upazila town on the day. They also hurled brick chips at the law enforcers. Police fired blank shots to disperse them.

The then Sub-Inspector Razab Ali of Ghatail Police Station filed a case on the day, accusing 89 leaders and activists of BNP-Jamaat and their associate bodies.

After investigation, Sub-Inspector Tajul Islam, also the investigation officer of the case, submitted a charge sheet to the court against 26 accused on May 15 this year. The court accepted the charge sheet on June 11.

Away in Benapole, 11 Jamaat men, arrested with leaflets, banners and books on jihad from a mosque at Narendrapur Bazar area on July 27, were sued on Sunday under the Explosives Substances Act.

Sub-inspector Touhidul Islam of Sadar Police Station filed the case.

During interrogation on Saturday, the Jamaat men confessed to keeping hand bombs at their respective houses. Later, police conducted a drive at the houses of Jamaat activists Tariqul Islam, Shafi Ullah and Raisuddin early Sunday and found seven hand bombs and 20 leaflets.