District and Sessions Judge of Chapainawabganj Hrishikesh Saha also fined them Tk 10,000 yesterday; if unpaid they would remain in prison six more months.

The other two convicts are BNP president of Shibganj municipality unit Shafikul Islam and BNP adherent Aynal Haque.

All of them were produced before the court during the delivery of the verdict yesterday. After the verdict, Shahjahan screamed out claiming he was innocent. He told his lawyers that he would appeal in higher court.

One Panaullah filed the case with Shibganj Police Station on April 23 this year accusing the three of extortion. Panaullah in his complaint alleged that the accused, misusing their power, forced him to pay Tk 70,000 on November 19, 2005. They also threatened him with death and harassed him by implicating him in false cases.

Police on June 7 submitted the charge sheet before the court against the three after an investigation.

The accused surrendered before the same court on June 20 and the court framed charges the same day.

Three out of nine witnesses of the case gave depositions supporting the allegation. The trial completed within 90 working days.

Shahjahan is also under trial in four other cases filed in connection with ordering criminal activities, extortion, fraud and misappropriation of people's money.

Shahjahan raised controversy by his role in Kansat, Chapainawabganj early 2006 when Palli Bidyut Unnayan Sangram Parishad led by Golam Rabbani started demonstrating there demanding uninterrupted power supply. He failed to mitigate the power crisis the villagers were going through then. He allegedly had a hand behind the police excess and the shootings that left 17 people dead in Kansat. He supposedly had Rabbani arrested as well.