AL men force traders to keep shutters down

8 November 2009, 17:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Kushtia

Awami League (AL) activists have forced businessmen and traders to keep shops and other business establishments in Mirpur upazila closed since Saturday evening, demanding release of an arrested Jubo League leader. According to police, Jubo League men led by its Mirpur upazila unit President Ferdous Ahmed Joarder snatched motorbike of local BNP leader Ibrahim Hossan in front of the house of municipality Chairman Faruk Khan Chowdhury in upazila bazar area and torched it at about 4:30pm on Saturday. Chased by the Awami League men, Ibrahim, also a councillor of Mirpur Municipality, took shelter at the house of the municipality chairman. Informed, a team of Rab-12 led by Ft Lt Nazrul Islam rushed to the spot and rescued Ibrahim. At about 6:30pm, the Rab team arrested Jubo League leader Ferdous from his house and recovered phensidyl, sharp weapons and sticks from there. Rab handed over Ferdous to Mirpur police who produced him before a Kushtia court. The court sent him to jail on the night. Protesting arrest of their leader, activists of Awami League and its associate organisations took to the street, asked businessmen and traders to keep shutters of shops and other establishments down, and threatened to set fire in case of failure. They also barricaded Kushtia-Meherpur road for three hours. The business establishments in the upazila remained closed today also as the AL men barred opening them until their 'leader' is freed from jail. Mirpur Upazila Bazar Samity President Mejbaul Haq Khan Chowdhu said local administration did not take any step to open the shops.