BNP Veterans Jailed In Sabotage Case

Eight people, including BNP leaders Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and Md Hafizuddin Ahmed, have been sentenced to jail for different terms in connection with a sabotage incident in Dhaka in 2011.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury delivered the verdict on Thursday (December 28).

Eleven other suspects in the case were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Public Prosecutor Abdullah Abu said BNP vice-chairmen Altaf and Hafiz received 21 months' imprisonment on two separate charges under the Penal Code and fined Tk 5,000 each. Failure to pay the fine will result in an additional month of imprisonment.

Five other accused -- MA Awal Khan, Md Russell, Moinul Islam, Babul Hossain alias Babu, and Alamgir Biswas alias Raju -- were jailed for 42 months and fined Tk 5,000 each.

According to the case dossier, the accused were involved in obstructing police and attacking them from an unlawful assembly in Mohakhali on Jun 4, 2011. They were also charged with vandalising and setting fire to vehicles on the road.

Altaf was arrested by the Rapid Action Battalion from Tongi on Nov 4 and was later sent to jail in connection with a case over the attacks on the chief justice's residence during the opposition group's anti-government rally on Oct 28.

Altaf, a former Air Force chief, served as the home minister from 2001 to 2004 during the coalition government of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.