Mirza Fakhrul, 2 others land in jail

A court in the city sent on Sunday BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and its two other leaders to jail rejecting their bail petitions in three cases, including that of a murder, in connection with an arson attack on a bus during the then opposition's blockade programme before the national election, reports UNB.
The two other BNP leaders are Mirza Abbas, a standing committee member, and Abdus Salam, the party's Dhaka City member secretary.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan passed the orders after a hearing on their petitions seeking bail on their surrender.
Another report adds, deploring the sending of its three senior leaders to jail by a court, BNP claimed Sunday the move has exposed the government's utter vindictive attitude and heinous repressive policy.
"We think our senior leaders, including the acting secretary general, has been sent to jail only for raising their voice in favour of the party, democracy, the country and its independence. We condemn the way their bails were cancelled," BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told a press briefing.