24,500 BNP, Jamaat-Shibir men sued in Dinajpur

At least 24,500 BNP and Jamaat-Shibir men have been sued on charge of carrying out destructive activities in 11 upazilas of the district during and after the January 5 national elections.
 District police sources said the presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and police filed 124 cases with respective police stations in the last 15 days since January 7.
In the cases, the complainants accused the BNP and Jamaat-Shibir activists of vandalising polling centres, looting ballot papers and ballot boxes, intimidating votes and attacking Hindus for casting votes.
According to police sources, 2900 opposition activists were sued in Parbatipur, 2250 in Birampur, 2050 in Phulbari, 2800 in Birganj, 2650 in Chirirbandar, 3400 in Dinajpur Sadar, 2150 in Kaharol, 1500 in Khansama, 1500 in Nawabganj, 1150 in Hakimpur, and 2150 in Ghoraghat upazilas.
Law enforcers have so far arrested 318 of the accused. Of them, 200 have been granted bail by the court. Contacted, Police Superintendent (SP) Ruhul Amin said law enforcers are raiding different areas in the upazilas to arrest the remaining accused in the cases.
Our Gaibandha correspondent adds: A case was filed with Sundarganj Police station on Sunday evening, accusing 5,000 Jamaat-Shibir men of attacking cops in the upazila in the early hours of the day.
Police were conducting a raid at Kadamtala and Khanabari villages in Sarbananda union of the upazila at around 1:00am to capture people wanted in cases filed in connection with the violence that rocked the district in February 2013.
Jamaat-Shibir activists put up barricades at all the exit points of the villages and torched the vehicle the law enforcers went there in. They then swooped on the policemen with sticks and sharp weapons, forcing the law enforcers to retaliate with a few gunshots.
At least 55 people, including 22 cops, were injured during the nearly five-hour-long clash.