Hartal called off, dist AL suspends all 22 accused party men

Slain Awami League (AL) leader Iqbal Azad's supporters who called a half-day hartal in Sarail upazila yesterday, withdrew it on Tuesday night.
Azad's family members decided to withdraw the programme considering the ongoing Durga Puja and upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, locals said.
Villagers were informed of the decision to call off the hartal through loud speakers in different areas at about 11pm.
Earlier, the supporters of Iqbal Azad on Tuesday called the hartal, demanding arrest of his killers.
They announced the hartal programme after Azad's namaj-e-janaza was held at Kuttapara playground in the afternoon.
AKM Iqbal Azad, vice president of Sarail upazila unit AL, was killed in an attack allegedly by his rivals in tempo stand area in the upazila on Sunday.
The attackers dragged him out of his car and stabbed him with sharp weapons when he was coming to Sarail upazila town from Kuttapara village.
The incident sparked waves of protests in the upazila.
Meanwhile, advocate Md Ashraf Uddin Manto, joint convener of Sarail upazila Jubo League, yesterday said they urged the authorities concerned to close officer in-charge (OC) of Sarail PS Md Gias Uddin soon as he is yet to arrest the killers.
On the other hand, district AL committee in an urgent meeting presided by its acting president Advocate Emdadul Bari, suspended 22 Sarail AL leaders who were accused in the Azad murder case.
Contacted, Md Helal Uddin, senior vice-president of district AL, said they have also sent a letter to the central committee to expel all the 22 accused AL leaders and activists from different posts of Sarail upazila AL and other party organisations.
The suspended leaders include Sarail upazila AL president M A Halim, general secretary Rafique Uddin Takhur and organising secretary Md Mahfuz Ali.