Charges pressed against 7,500 BNP-Jamaat men in Dinajpur

Charges have been pressed against 7,500 Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men in the cases for torching polling centres and the houses of Hindus and AL men in 11 upazilas of the district during the parliamentary elections held on January 5, 2014.

As many as 256 charge sheets in 128 cases were submitted to Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court and Sessions Judge's Court in Dinajpur until June 20 this year.

Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) advocate Saiful Islam said police submitted two charge sheets in each case--one under the Anti-Terrorism Act and another under the Explosive Substances Act.

Police have so far arrested 3,500 of the accused while the rest are still at large, the APP said.

In a bid to foil the 10th parliamentary elections across the country, Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men torched polling centres and looted the houses of Hindus and ruling party men in 11 out of 13 upazilas in the district on January 5 last year.

After the incidents, 128 cases were filed with the respective police stations, accusing 28,000 Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men. Of the accused, around 25,000 were unidentified, police said.

After investigation, police submitted charge sheets against 7,500 men in 128 cases to the courts in the last eight months since November last year.