A Faridpur court has denied bail to 21 Awami League leaders and activists, in a case filed under the Explosives Act by a BNP supporter. Following the rejection of their bail petitions, the court ordered the accused to be sent to jail.
The order was issued on Monday afternoon by Faridpur District and Sessions Judge Zia Haider. The matter was confirmed by Public Prosecutor (PP) Ali Ashraf.
According to Ashraf, the 21 accused had been granted four weeks’ interim bail by the High Court, which also instructed them to appear before the lower court before the bail expired. When they re-applied for bail on Monday, the court rejected the petition.
Among those denied bail were prominent local AL leaders including Iqbal Hossain Chunnu, Vice President of Alfadanga Upazila Awami League; Motiur Rahman, Deputy Office Secretary; Sheikh Delwar Hossain, former Vice Chairman of the Upazila Parishad and Convenor of the Upazila Krishak League; Nur Islam Sheikh, General Secretary of the Upazila Sramik League; Hasmat Hossain Talukder, Convenor of the Upazila Jubo League; and Kamrul Islam, Joint Convenor of the Jubo League.
The case was filed on January 18 of this year at the Alfadanga Police Station by Lablu Sardar, a BNP supporter from the Buraiych area of Alfadanga municipality. He is the son of local resident Idris Sardar. The complaint named 170 Awami League leaders and activists—including freedom fighters, journalists, and teachers—and also listed 2,500 to 3,000 unidentified individuals as accused under the Explosives Act.