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A total of 167 leaders and activists from the Awami League surrendered to courts in Jashore on Sunday in connection with several cases.
Among those who surrendered, 20 were from Jashore Sadar Upazila, 105 from Abhaynagar Upazila, and 42 from Keshabpur.
The accused appeared before three separate courts, where the judges refused to grant bail to 125 of them from Jashore Sadar and Abhaynagar Upazila, ordering their detention in jail. However, the bail applications of the 42 accused from Keshabpur were granted, reports UNB.
Court Inspector Rokshana Khatun confirmed the development, stating that the surrendered individuals were sent to Jashore Central Jail as per the court’s orders.
According to court sources, the case stems from an incident on December 30, 2018, when bombs were thrown at a polling center at the Model Government Primary School in Baliadanga village, Jashore Sadar. Advocate Munshi Manzurul Islam filed a case with the Kotwali Police Station on November 19, 2023, naming 96 individuals, including Sohorab Hossain, the chairman of the Fatehpur Union Parishad, as the main accused.
On Sunday, 20 of the accused, including the chairman, surrendered to the court and applied for bail. Senior Judicial Magistrate Golam Kibria rejected their bail application and ordered their imprisonment.
Meanwhile, 105 individuals from Abhaynagar Upazila, involved in two separate cases, surrendered before Senior Judicial Magistrate Palash Kumar Dalal’s court on the same day. The court also denied them bail and sent them to jail.
Among the accused from Abhaynagar are Awami League Organising Secretary Anwar Hossain, Treasurer Anisur Rahman Mintu, Sheikh Kafi Samrat (son of former Whip Abdul Wahab), Commissioner Bipul Sheikh, General Secretary of the Upazila Volunteer League Shafi Kamal, and former Joint Convenor of the Upazila Chhatra League Kazi Mamun, among others.
Syed Kabir Hossain Jonny, the defence lawyer representing the accused, argued that the case was based on fabricated charges and had no real connection to the events. He stated that they would seek bail from the District Judge Court.
In a separate sabotage case from Keshabpur, 42 accused individuals surrendered and requested bail. Senior Judicial Magistrate Rashedu Rahman granted them bail.