Twenty-two leaders and activists of BNP, including its senior joint secretary general Habib-Un-Nabi Khan Sohel and Juba Dal president Sultan Salauddin Tuku, were acquitted from a case filed over obstructing police from discharging their duties on October 28, 2017.

Judge Abul Kashem of Dhaka Special Judge Court-1 passed the order on Thursday allowing an appeal of against their conviction in the case.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court on November 20, 2023, convicted 22 BNP men and sentenced each of them to two-year in jail in the case. Later, the convicts appealed against their conviction.

The acquitted BNP leaders include- BNP’s information and research affairs secretary Azizul Bari Helal, former Juba Dal president Saiful Alam Nirob, Swechchhasebak Dal general secretary Razib Ahsan, former general of secretaries of Chhatra Dal Akramul Hasan Mintu and Habibur Rashid Habib and Juba Dal Dhaka South unit president Enamul Haque Rana.

According to the case document, on October 28, 2017, BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia was scheduled to visit party’s Nayapaltan central office.

When her motorcade reached Nayapaltan, the convicts obstructed police from discharging their duties. They allegedly hurled brickbats at the law enforcers.

Following the incident, Paltan thana police filed a case in this connection and court pressed charge-sheet of the case on August 6, 2019.