Half-day hartal in Sirajganj Sunday

Sirajganj, June 24 (bdnews24.com)?Opposition BNP has called a half-day shutdown in Sirajganj for Sunday to protest the arrest of municipal mayor and BNP leader Mokaddes Ali.

Sirajganj district BNP president Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku told bdnews24.com they would hold protest rallies on Friday and Saturday against the arrest of Ali, also BNP district unit general secretary.

A half-day long lockdown will be imposed on Sunday, added Tuku, a former state minister for power.

On June 15, at least 20 people were injured in a clash between BNP and Awami League activists in the district headquarters.

Three cases were filed with Sirajganj Sadar police in this connection, which has already resulted in the arrest of several top leaders of the district BNP.

The municipal mayor was arrested from the Sonargaon Hotel in the capital in the early hours of Friday. He was brought back to Siranganj around 9am on Friday.

Ali was out on bail and his arrest was illegal, Tuku claimed.

Rejecting Tuku's claim, district police superintendent Mosharraf Hossain explained "the bail order sent to us by the High Court did not include his (Mokaddes Ali's) name."

bdnews24.com/corr/cs/kms/aik/tk/1259h

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