53 Jamaat-BNP men held in Rajshahi

Police picked up 53 activists of BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami in Rajshahi Metropolitan City after the Supreme Court (SC) upheld the death penalty of Al-Badr commander and Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid, reports bdnews24.com.

Rajshahi police Commis-sioner Md Shamsuddin said they picked up 42 in raids in Rajparha, Matihar and Shah Mokhdum area from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning.

Another 11 were picked up on Wednesday morning when they were preparing to bring out a procession in Sagarpara area in Boalia supporting the daylong strike.

The Jamaat-e-Islami decided to protest against the SC verdict and called for a daylong strike across Bangladesh on Wednesday. Jamaat's Boalia chief Sirajul Islam and ward 27 chief Monirul Islam were among those  arrested in the morning.

"Those detained are all BNP and Jamaat-Shibir activists. Most of them are wanted in cases filed over violence during the indefinite blockade at the beginning of the year," the police official added.