Local people of Babuganj upazila yesterday blocking roads, forming human chain and holding rally demanded immediate release of 11 leaders and activists of Babuganj upazila unit BNP, including one upazila chairman candidate and his younger brother.
Hundreds of the BNP leaders and activists with local people put up barricade on the Banaripara-Swarupkathi road that halted traffic movement on both sides of the road.
Later, they held a rally where speakers said although the accused had been granted interim bail from the High Court, a lower court sent them to jail after they surrendered before it with a plea to extend the bail which proved a conspiracy against them.
The speakers called upon voters to put up resistance against rigging and irregularities during the upcoming election.
They vowed to launch tougher movement if the BNP men were not released before the election.
A Barisal court on Thursday sent them to jail in a case lodged for attempting to foil the upazila parishad elections.
Rejecting their bail plea, Magistrate Rafikul Islam passed the order after they surrendered before the court yesterday.
The accused are Sultan Ahmed Khan, incumbent chairman of Babuganj upazila and also candidate for the same post in the third phase of upazila parishad polls scheduled for March 15, former president of upazila unit BNP Wahidul Islam Khan, Madhabpasha upazila Chairman Sultan Ahmed, President of Babuganj Upazila BNP Yusuf Talukdar, Sultan Molla, Basir Ahmed, Shamsul Huq, Zahirul Huq, Shahin Molla, Monir Haoladar and Mokhles Hossain.
Sub Inspector Mainul Islam of Barisal Airport police station lodged a case on January 7, 2014 against the accused for trying to thwart the 10th general election through disrupting road communication on Barisal-Banaripara route on January 5, 2014.