A Dhaka court has sentenced 75 BNP leaders and activists, including former Jubo Dal general secretary SM Jahangir, to two and a half years in jail in a case filed on charges of sabotage in 2013.

The court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Hasibul Haque passed the verdict on Thursday.

Defence lawyer Syed Nazrul Islam confirmed the matter.

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SM Jahangir, Shahabuddin Sagar and Shah Alam were produced before the court from jail during the pronouncement of the verdict. 

The court issued arrest warrants  against the other 72 people as they have been absconding.

The other convicts include the leaders and activists of BNP and its associate bodies, Nasim, Apu, Ashraf, Mamun, Aminul, Ehsan, Ripon, Shahadat Hossain, Alamgir, Mokhlesur, Shahidul Islam, Masud, Khorshed Ali, Shafiqul Islam and others.

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The court also acquitted Ashraf and Monir Hossain as they were not found guilty in the case.

Police filed the case with Uttara East Police Station in November 2013.  After investigation, the police filed a chargesheet against 77 people.

Earlier on Wednesday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Saiful Islam sentenced nine people, including former Chhatra Dal president and former swechchhasebak dal general secretary Abdul Qadir Bhuiyan Jewel, to 39 months in jail in a case filed over arson and attack on police.

The judge also imposed a fine of Tk 5,000 on each of them and, in default of which, they will have to serve another four months in jail.

According to the case statement, on November 3, 2013, BNP and Chhatra Shibir leaders and activists set fire to a private car parked on the road during a rally in front of Hotel Plaza on VIP Road in Paltan.

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When the police tried to douse the fire, the accused attacked them with bricks, iron rods and hockey sticks.

Later, Paltan police filed tje case against in this regard.