60 BCL, Jubo League men sued in Rangpur

An assistant engineer of Rangpur Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) lodged a case with Kotwali Police Station against 60 activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League for preventing contractors from dropping tender schedules Thursday.

Police arrested two BCL activists--Rubel and Ratan--immediately after the clash and they were sent to Rangpur Central jail yesterday.

Meanwhile, police yesterday arrested seven other activists of BCL, Jubo League and Swechchhasebak League on charges of extortion and drug peddling.

Detective Branch (DB) police arrested Hasanul Sarker Tuhin, a Jubo league adherent, with ten bottles of phensidyl at Sahebganj under Kotwali Police Station Thursday night. Tuhin was coming from Haragachh by a motorbike. He was also sent to Rangpur central jail.

Meanwhile, Kaunia police arrested five activists of Jubo League and one of Swechchhasebak League at Teesta Railway Bridge as they beat up the bridge toll contractor Nojir Hossain for refusing to pay extortion money.

The arrestees are Abdul Motaleb, Safiqul Islam, Siddique Hossain, Nur-un-Nabi and Rabiul Islam of Jubo League and Mosharraf Hossain of Swechchhasebak League Kaunia upazila unit.

Kounia police sources said on information a team led by a sub-inspector rushed to Teesta Bridge and rescued Nojir from the clutches of the arrestees.

A sub-inspector of Kounia Police Station preferring anonymity said the miscreants were beating up Nojir as he denied paying Tk 10,000 as toll money.

Joint Convener of Swechchhasebak League of the upazila unit Jamsher Ali admitted the fact and said earlier Jubo League and Swechchhasebak League leaders of the upazila tried to make a negotiation with the toll contractor. However, the incident did not occur due to internal feud, he added.