The court sentenced Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam and 10 BNP leaders to one and a half years imprisonment in a case of setting fire to a car 14 years ago. Seven other accused were acquitted in the same case. Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court Magistrate Rajesh Chowdhury gave this verdict on Tuesday.
Mozammel Hossain, bench assistant of that court, confirmed the truth of the information in Prothom Aloke judgment. He said that Azharul Islam was sent to jail after the verdict was announced.
Others sentenced are Mubarak Hossain, Hasan Al Mamun, Abu Taher Mejbah, Mohammad Jahangir, Mohammad Ibrahim, Saiful Islam, Md. Survey, Abul Kashem, Ashrafuzzaman and Reduan. They are all fugitives. The court has issued an arrest warrant against them.
According to the case documents, on November 13, 2010, BNP leaders and activists set fire to two private cars in Malibagh area of the capital. In this incident, Deputy Inspector (SI) of Motijheel police station Abdul Hakeem filed a case against 100 anonymous leaders and workers of BNP. After investigating the case, on June 30, 2012, the police submitted a charge sheet to the court against 18 people including Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam.
According to the charge sheet, the disorderly leaders and workers of BNP and its organizations set fire to two private cars in Malibagh because the cantonment authorities took possession of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s residence on the orders of the High Court. He obstructed the work of the police. In this case, the court framed charges against 18 people including ATM Azharul Haque on November 30 last year.
The state party produced 4 witnesses out of 14 witnesses in the charge sheet. All four are members of the police force. Evidence in the case was received in December last year.
It should be noted that ATM Azharul Islam, Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, was sentenced to death by the International Criminal Tribunal on December 30, 2014 for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.