Police have arrested Awami League leader and former union parishad chairman Babul Sheikh in connection with a case filed over an attack on a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) election rally and motorcade in Sirajganj. The arrest took place early Thursday night at his home in Tarash municipal area, and he was later sent to jail through the court on Friday. According to Tarash police, Babul Sheikh was named in the case as an accused in the attack and attempted murder of former BNP lawmaker Abdul Mannan Talukder.

Police sources said the incident occurred on December 12, 2018, during the campaign for the 11th national parliamentary election, when BNP candidate Abdul Mannan Talukder attended a rally at Binodpur Bazar in Baruhas Union. It was alleged that Babul Sheikh and other Awami League activists carried out an armed attack, vandalized vehicles, and detonated explosives. The case was filed much later, on September 11, 2024, by Baruhas Union BNP president Asaduzzaman, naming 99 accused including former Awami League MP Abdul Aziz.

The arrest marks a significant development in a politically sensitive case that had remained pending for several years.