A Dhaka court has sentenced 14 BNP leaders and activist including BNP joint secretary Habibunnnabi Khan Sohel, Information affairs secretary Azizul Bari Helal and Swechasebak affairs secretary Mir Sharfat Ali Sapu to one-and-a-half years in jail each over obstructing police attempting to do their duty.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ataullah passed the order on Monday.

The court issued arrest warrants against them along with punishment as the accused are absconding.

According to the case statement, on January 29, 2015, BNP leaders and activists detonated a cocktail bomb at gate number 4 of New Market in the evening to create panic among the people.

Police filed a case with New Market Police Station naming 13 local BNP leaders and activists.

Another court sentenced 14 men, including BNP executive committee member Rafiqul Islam, to two years and three months imprisonment in a case filed in September 2018.

Dhaka CMM Court Magistrate Ataullah passed the order on Monday.

None of the accused were present in the court at the time of the verdict. The court has issued arrest warrants against each of them.

In the last two months, 265 BNP leaders have been sentenced to jail in 21 cases in Dhaka courts and in the last one year, 299 have been jailed in 29 cases.