A court sent 22 Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists, including its city unit amir, nayebey amir, secretary, to Barisal Central jail yesterday afternoon.
The arrested are Advocate Moazzem Hossain Helal, ameer, Bazlur Rahman, nayeb-e-ameer, Jahiruddin Md Babar, secretary, Mawlana Matiur Rahman, assistant secretary, Prof Shah Alam, Barisal correspondent of Daily Sangram, Abur Rouf, Moazzem Hossain Haoladar, Mahbubur Rahman, Mijanur Rahman, Shafiullah Talukdar, Joynal Abedin, Ismail Hossain, Md Russel, Saiful Islam, Abul Kalam Abul Kasem, Shamim, Kabir, Shahjahan, Siraj, Abdus Sattar and Rafikul Isam, activists of city unit JIB.
Police placed them before the court at noon after arresting them with Tk1,75,700 and 22 mobile phone sets during a secret meeting at a house of Dr Majed Ali at South Alekanda in the city on Thursday night.
Barisal Kotowali police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shakhawat Hossain said they arrested the Jamaat men upon a lead that they had been planning an act of sabotage on the National Mourning Day.
Yesterday was August 15, the National Mourning Day.
OC Shakhawat said all the arrested had been shown arrested under Section 54 of penal code, he said.
Barisal city and district Jamaat leaders have condemned the arrest and called for their release immediately.
They claimed that the meeting was not meant for planning any untoward incident. Rather, it was a regular organisational meeting.
