Dhaka: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami enforced a countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal at daybreak on Monday after two of its top leaders were sentenced to three months in jail for contempt of court on Sunday.

Jamaat-Shibir activists took to the streets early in the morning to enforce the hartal and exploded several cocktails in the capital city’s Jatrabari, Mirpur, Dhanmondi, Pallabi, Moghbazar, Malibagh areas and took out sporadic processions. The Jamaat-Shibir men also clashed with police and vandalized several vehicles in some areas of the capital city early in the morning.

Jamaat’s acting secretary general Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan made the hartal call through a press release on Sunday following contempt conviction of its three leaders by the International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday.

The two leaders have also been fined Tk three thousand each while another leader of the party has been fined Tk one thousand by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT)-2 for making derogatory comments about the tribunal and its war crimes proceedings.

Meanwhile, miscreants hurled five cocktails at the residence of Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu at Darus Salam Road in Mirpur on Sunday afternoon.

Information Minister Hasanul Haque Inu, however, blamed the Jamaat-Shibir men for the attack on his residence.

The Jamaat leaders accused in contempt charges are central executive council member and lawmaker Hamidur Rahman Azad, acting secretary general Rafiqul Islam Khan and Dhaka City unit’s assistant secretary general Selim Uddin.

On February 7, the tribunal summoned them to explain why contempt proceedings would not be initiated against them for their ‘abhorrently outrageous remarks’ at a party rally on February 4.

As the accused did not appear before the tribunal despite deferring the dates several times, the tribunal issued arrest warrant against them on March 6.

Police arrested Selim Uddin on March 8. The two other are still absconding.

Ends/AMA/10/06/13