34 BNP-Jamaat men sent to jail in Bagerhat

A court here on Wednesday sentenced 34 leaders and activists of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami to three years rigorous imprisonment in the cases for arson attack on Awami League (AL) office, assaulting AL activists and setting their house afire in Sadar upazila in 2013.

Judge Jahidul Azad of Bagerhat Senior Judicial Magistrate's Court also fined the convicts Tk 5,000 each. In default, they are to suffer three months more in jail.

Prof Ali Reza Babu, general secretary of BNP Bagerhat district unit, and Mobarak Molla, Jamaat Bishnupur union unit general secretary, are among the convicts.

According to the prosecution, BNP and Jamaat men of Kukoramara village attacked the houses of some local AL men, set fire to their houses and two motorcycles on August 10, 2013.

After investigation, police pressed charges against 95 people. The court sent 23 of them to jail and acquitted the rest 72 as charges brought against them could not be proved.

In another case, police submitted a charge sheet against 112 people for attacking the ruling party men, damaging prime minister's portrait and torching Gotapara union AL office on October 20 the same year.

After examining the case records, the court sentenced 11 people to jail, acquitting the rest 101 accused.