30 opposition leaders shifted to Kashimpur jail

BANGLADESH NEWS

The jail authorities on Friday shifted 30 out of 37 18-party alliance leaders, including BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, accused in hartal violence, from Dhaka Central Jail to Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur.

Masud Hasan, a deputy jailer at Dhaka Central Jail, told that the 30 leaders were transferred to Kashimpur jai in two phases around 1:00pm.

He said seven of the 14 leaders, who had been granted division status, were sent to Kashimpur Central Jail Part-1 and Kashimpur Central Jail Part-2.

They are Fakhrul, BNP standing committee members Khandker Mosharraf Hossain and ASM Hannan Shah, its Self Reliance Affairs Secretary Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu, Students Affair Secretary Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie, Liberal Democratic Party President Oli Ahmed and Bangladesh Jatiya Party President Andaleeve Rahman Partho.

BNP's Education Affairs Secretary Khairul Kabir Khokan and three others, detained during Thursday's general strike, have already been sent to the Kashimpur Central Jail. They were sent to the prison along with 19 others who landed in jail on Wednesday.

"Those who are kept at Dhaka Central Jail are BNP Vice-Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Standing Committee Members MK Anwar, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Mirza Abbas, Joint Secretary General Amanullah Aman, Organising Secretary Fazlul Haque Milan and International Affairs Secretary Nazim Uddin Alam," the jail official said.

Inspector General (Prisons) Brig Gen Mohammad Ashraful Islam Khan told that the leaders were transferred to Kashimpur for their better accommodation facilities.

"We sent mainly some VIP prisoners and some students leaders to Kashimpur jails", the IG-Prisons said.

On Wednesday, a Dhaka court sent Fakhrul and 32 other opposition leaders to jail after refusing them bail in a case filed over torching of a bus in front of the Prime Minister's Office during a countrywide shutdown on Apr 29.

The leaders failed to get bail after surrendering at the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in the morning. The High Court had earlier rejected them bail and ordered them to surrender at the trial court.

A case was filed with the Tejgaon Police Station against 44 leaders and activists of the BNP and its like-minded parties on charges of torching a vehicle in front of the Prime Minister's Office during the countrywide shutdown on Apr 29 protesting against the 'disappearance' of one of the party's organising secretaries, M Ilias Ali.

Detective Branch of police on May 10 submitted charge sheet against Fakhrul and 45 of the opposition alliance in the case filed under Speedy Trial Act.

Of the 37 leaders, 34 were sent to jail on Wednesday when they were to surrender before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's court while three others, including BNP's Education Affairs Secretary Khairul Kabir Khokan, were sent to jail after they were arrested on Thursday.