Court Correspondent :
A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced 10 activists of BNP-led-18 party alliance to five-year imprisonment in a case filed under the Explosive Substances Act.
Examining records and evidences, Judge Md Amirul Islam of the Dhaka Ninth Metropolitan Special Tribunal, handed down the sentence in the presence of seven convicts in his crowded courtroom.
Besides, the court fined them Tk 3,000 each, in default, they will have to serve three months more in the prison.
The convicts are Sumon Chandra Dey,25; Md Jashim Uddin,21; Md Aminul Islam,22; Abdur Rahman,55; Md Sohel Miah,26; Md Liton Ali,42; Md Kaisar Hossen, 23; Md Shohid Ali,36; Md Jewel,23 and Md Mohsin,28.
Of the convictims, seven are in the prison while Jashim, Mohsin and Shohid are on the run.
The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender, the judge said in the judgment.
However, the court, acquitted 14 accused including Nazrul Islam, Shamim Hossen, Siraj Ali and Firoz Khan of the charges as allegation brought against them were not proved.
Earlier, the prosecution and defense completed their arguments in the case after the tribunal recorded dispositions of 10 prosecution witnesses including the complainant of the case.
According to the case dossier, a group of 18-party alliance activists brought out a procession during hartal (shutdown) on November 26, 2013 in Dhaka’s Bhasantek area and threw crude bombs on the on-duty police members, leaving several injured.
Jahidul Islam, Sub-Inspector of Kafrul Police Station, filed the case against the accused under the Explosive Substances Act.
On March 31, 2014, SI ABM Asaduzzaman, submitted the charge sheet of the case to the court against 30 accused. Later, the tribunal framed charges against the accused on April 13, 2017.
