The chairman and vice-chairman of the district's Palashbari Upazila, where eight people were killed in arson, has been suspended for their alleged involvement with subversive activities.
The local government has issued an order, suspending the upazila parishad chairman, Abul Kawsar Md Nazrul Islam, and Vice-Chairman Md Abu Taleb, said Mokhlesur Rahman, deputy ditector of local government section under district commissioner's office.
He said : “The suspension orders have been made as per the Local Government Act and it will take effect on Monday. Female Vice-Chairman Kohinur Akhter Shipon has been asked to take the charges of chairman's office as acting chairman.”
Both the Jamaat leaders have been made accused in a number of cases of violence, he added.
Earlier on February 6, miscreants hurled petrol bomb at a bus in the district around 11pm while it was under police escort, leaving five people, including three children, dead on the spot.
Some 22 injured people were rushed to hospital, where three more victims succumbed to their injuries the next day.
So far, more than 70 people have died and scores have been injured in different parts of the country in violence during the BNP-led alliance enforced non-stop blockade.
Of those, a large number of arson attacks are being conducted on highways. Hundreds of vehicles, including those belonging to law-enforcers, were burnt and attacked.
The BNP led 20-party alliance has been enforcing a non-stop nationwide blockade since January 5 in protest against the “confinement” of the party chief Khaleda Zia.
Khaleda Zia had been kept confined to her Gulshan party office since January 3 ahead of a party rally, marking “Democracy Killing Day.”
On January 12, the security was relaxed.
But Khaleda never came out; instead she said in a press conference that she was going to stay there and the blockade would continue unless the government took the first steps towards solution.
