A Dhaka court today sentenced 62 leaders and activists of BNP and its front organizations to 42 months' imprisonment each in a case filed over assaulting policemen and preventing them from discharging their duties in Dhaka's Bangshal area in 2018.

Khandaker Akhter Hamid Khan Paban, son of former BNP secretary general late Khandaker Delwar Hossain, is among the convicts in the case.

All the convicts are ward-level leaders and activists of BNP and its front organisations.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Sheikh Sadi pronounced the verdict in absence of all the accused at the courtroom.

Before delivering the judgement, the magistrate cancelled bail orders for the convicts, declared them "fugitives" as they remained absent without taking any steps through their lawyers.

The magistrate also issued conviction warrants against all the convicts and directed the officer-in-charge of Bangshal Police Station to execute the court order.

The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the day of their arrest or surrender, the magistrate said in his judgment.

Asked about the judgment, Syed Zaynul Abedin Mesbah, a lawyer of one of accused, told The Daily Star that his client did not get justice from the court.

Only five out of 33 prosecution witnesses including the complainant and investigation officer of the case gave their statements before the court during the trial but they failed to narrate the incident specifically. So, all the accused were deprived of justice, said Mesbah.

The lawyer also said the prosecution failed to exhibit the "alamats" (samples) seized from the place of occurrence.

"We will challenge it with the higher court where our clients may get justice," said Mesbah.

Kajol Roy, who represented accused Golam Akter Iqbal, told The Daily Star that her client is now 72 years old and he is not involved with any politics.

Moreover, he has been suffering from different ailments, including diabetes, and is now quite unable to move. So, her client did not get justice, she said, adding that the five witnesses who gave their depositions before the court, did not mention her client's name also, Kajol added.

Earlier, the prosecution and the defence completed their arguments.

According to the case statement, it was alleged that a group of BNP leaders and activists gathered in front of Hotel Sufia (Pvt) Ltd at Nawab Katra in the city's Bangshal area around 2:20pm on September 13 of 2018. At one stage, they vandalised shops, assaulted policemen and prevented them from performing their duties.

Following the incident, police filed a case against 80 leaders and activists of BNP and its front organisations with Bangshal Police Station.

After an investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against 62 people on July 26 of 2019 and the court framed charges against them on March 14 of 2022.