BNP stages demo protesting at verdict against Tarique, Zubaida

Leaders and activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party bring out a procession from the party central office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka protesting at a lower court verdict against party acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in a graft case, on Wednesday. – UNB photo.

Hundreds of leaders and activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday staged a demonstration in front of their central office at Naya Paltan in Dhaka protesting at a lower court verdict against party acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman in a graft case.

The BNP leaders and activists started gathering in the area since 1:00pm on Wednesday amid the huge presence of law enforcers.

As the court delivered the verdict, the BNP followers along with party senior leaders, including its vice chairman Barkatullah Bulu, chairperson’s advisers Amanullah Aman, Abdus Salam, and senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, brought out a procession towards Nightingale crossing from Naya Paltan minutes after 4:00pm.

They chanted slogans that they did not accept the “verdict of Sheikh Hasina”.

Meanwhile, Tarique was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment while Zubaida Rahman to three years’ in the graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2007.

The court also fined Tarique Tk 3 crore and Zubaida Tk 45 lakh.

Meanwhile, a group of pro-BNP lawyers also staged a demonstration in the Dhaka Court area. They began the demonstration in the morning.

Earlier on Tuesday, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir feared that their acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his wife Zubaida Rahman could be sentenced in the graft case by a ‘dictated’ verdict as per a blueprint of the government.

Agency report