Bangladesh News

Law enforcement agencies stepped up security in the capital and other places across the country to avert any attack by the activists of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) as August 17 was the third anniversary of the countrywide near simultaneous bomb blasts.

“We have no intelligence report on any possible attack by the militants, but we stepped up security so that no untoward incident can take place,” a top official of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) told The Daily Star.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police deployed 2,000 additional forces alongside the regular ones and set up around 100 check posts.

Besides, plainclothes Rab members were deployed at different places to gather intelligence about the activities of the banned militant outfit.

Patrolling by uniformed Rab members was also increased at different important places yesterday to avert any unwarranted situation, the top Rab official said.

Rab Director General Hassan Mahmood Khandker said, “The situation is very much under our control. The JMB militants are still carrying out activities, although very few, at some places in a disorganised way but they are not in a position to cause any harm to people.”

He called for a massive “holistic” approach by all stakeholders namely politicians, religious leaders, civil society members, teachers, the media, people in the public sector, imams of mosques and students to get rid of militancy.

Investigators have so far submitted charge sheets of 241 cases against 743 JMB leaders and activists for their involvement in the serial bomb blasts across the country on August 17, 2005.

According to officials of different law enforcement agencies, a total of 283 cases were filed against 822 JMB leaders and activists.

They said 164 cases are under trial while final reports have been submitted in three cases and investigation is being conducted into another 39 cases.

Trials have been completed in 77 cases in which 271 JMB leaders and activists have been convicted. Of them 41 were awarded death sentence, 98 life imprisonment and 132 different other jail terms.

Six top militants including JMB supremo Abdur Rahman and his deputy Bangla Bhai were executed late March 29 night for killing judges Jagannath Pandey and Sohel Ahmed in a suicide blast in Jhalakathi town on November 14, 2005.

The four others are Abdul Awal, member of the JMB highest decision-making body Majlish-e-Shura and Abdur Rahman’s son-in-law, Ataur Rahman Sunny, the outfit’s military commander and Rahman’s youngest brother, another Shura member Khaled Saifullah and suicide bomber Iftekhar Hasan Mamun.

Intelligence officials said 72 persons were acquitted in the cases as allegations against them were not proved.

The Rab which led the crackdown to contain serious escalation of JMB’s suicide bomb attacks following the August 17 incident has so far arrested 479 JMB militants and 47 activists of different other militant outfits.

It also seized 1,723kg of explosives, 8,997 detonators, 58 different types of firearms, 386 rounds of ammunition, 115 grenades, bombs and homemade bombs and 333 grenade shells.