Bangladesh News

Two separate cases were filed yesterday against around 11,000 unidentified Islamist activists for Friday’s violence and vandalism in the Baitul Mukarram area in the capital and Hathazari Police Station in Chittagong.

Out of the accused, only 17 Islamists were identified and arrested for their involvement in the violence in Dhaka. As they were produced before a Dhaka court yesterday, the court ordered to send them to Dhaka Central Jail custody.

However, no one has yet been arrested in connection with the Chittagong case.

Meanwhile, one of the agitating Islamist organisations, Islami Shashontantra Andolon (ISA), yesterday issued a five-day ultimatum to the government, asking it to scrap the Women Development Policy 2008 and remove Women and Children Affairs Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury within “a day or two”.

DHAKA CASE
Sub-Inspector Ershad Ali of Paltan Police Station filed a case Friday night against the 17 identified individuals and 4,000 to 5,000 unidentified others in connection with the violence and assault on police near the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.

The seventeen activists, arrested from the spot on Friday, were sent to Dhaka Central Jail yesterday after they were produced before the court.

They accused face the charges of violating Emergency Power Rules, snatching firearms from the police, endangering lives, vandalising properties and obstructing police duties.

The arrestees include A Mannan, Syed Sakib, Abul Qashem, Osman Gani, Mostafa bin Hossain, Syed Hossain, Enamul Hasan, Ehsanul, Rahmatullah, Obaidullah and Mostafa Kamal. Names of the other arrestees could not be known immediately.

Although another case was filed for violence in the same area the day before, on Thursday, anyone has yet to be arrested.

CTG CASE
Police yesterday filed a case against over 6,000 unknown people in connection with the attack on Hathazari Police Station Friday evening.

Around five platoons of additional police force were deployed at the police station as a precautionary measure after madrasa students attacked the station following rumours that an imam was killed in Dhaka during clashes with police Thursday.

Sub-inspector Md Waliullah filed the case with Hathazari Police Station Friday night against 6,000 to 7,000 unknown people on charge of damaging furniture, arson and injuring police officials by hurling brickbats after storming the station.

According to the first information report (FIR), 6,000 to 7,000 people brought out a procession from the Darul Ulum Moin Ul Islam Senior Madrasa and 1,000 to 1,500 of them stormed the police station and went on a rampage damaging virtually everything in the station and on its premises.

They torched a number of vehicles in the compound and outside the police station, Waliullah stated in the case. The incident left over 10 including five cops injured.

Officer-in-charge (OC) of Hathazari Police Station Md Alamgir said they were trying to identify the people actually involved in the incident.

Alamgir said he contacted the Boro Huzur–Mohtamim (Principal) of the madrasa yesterday morning and the Mohtamim gave assurance that no such further incidents would take place.

Quoting the Mohtamim, Alamgir said the madrasa authorities formed a five-member probe committee to identify the people involved in the incident.

Superintendent of Police (SP) in Chittagong Kamrul Ahsan said the situation was under control and they would proceed against the perpetrators as per the law.

ULTIMATUM TO GOVT
The Islami Shasontantra Andolan (ISA) yesterday gave a five-day ultimatum to the government to scrap the National Women Development Policy.

The ISA also asked the government to remove Women and Children Affairs Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury within ‘a day or two.’

“If needed, we shall sacrifice our lives to scrap the National Women Development Policy,” said ISA Ameer Mufti Rezaul Karim during a human chain formed in front of the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in the capital.

Several hundred people under the banner of ISA formed the human chain stretching from Dainik Bangla crossing to Paltan intersection at about 5:15pm, breaking the Emergency Power Rules (EPR).

Terming the caretaker government an ‘anti-Islam government’, the ISA chief said, “If our demands are not met within the deadline, we’ll announce tougher programmes at a rally of all Islamic parties on April 18.”

Security was tightened in and around the mosque.