24 more Hefazat supporters held for massacre in B’desh

By Sumi Khan

Dhaka, April 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Twenty-four more people have been arrested in Bangladesh in connection with the massacre by the militants of the militant outfit Hefazat-e-Islam. So far, 54 cases have been filed and 261 militants have been arrested over the violence.

On March 27, at least five persons were killed and around 50 others, including 25 policemen, injured in attack by the Hefazat militants and clashes between members of the law enforcement agencies and the militants at Nandanpur in Sadar upazila.

Vandalism by the militant outfit Hefazat-e-Islam was carried out in Brahmanbaria from March 26 to 31 March. The arrests were made from different parts of the district, according to the special branch of Brahmanbaria district police on Friday.

Around several hundred of the people of the militant outfit set fire on the central liabrary , legendary Artist Ustad Alauddin Khan Academy, Anandamoyi Kali temple, press club, railway station, police station, land office, ruling party Awami league office, AL president secretary and all other establishments of the district during the course of violence.

During Hefazat-called countrywide dawn-to-dusk general strike, the militants of the group in Chattogram and other districts set three buildings on fire, including the Railway station, land office in Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila, police station of all over Bangladesh including Hathazari upazila and other districts.

The militants had also attacked a Chittagong-bound train at Talshohor Rail Station in Brahmanbaria town.

Also, the Hefazat supporters vandalised several private and government establishments, including the municipality building, District office, mural of Bangabondhu and Foirtala Bus Stand in B'Baria Sadar upazila.

They had also attacked Brahmanbaria Press Club and confined some journalists to the premises.

Earliar, special investigation team Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) has submitted a report accusing 43 leaders of the militant outfit Hefazat-e-Islam including its top leader (amir) Junayed Babunagari in a case filed over the alleged murder of the organization's former chief Shah Ahmad Shafi.

Banaj Kumar Majumder, deputy inspector general (DIG) of police and chief of PBI, has confirmed the matter to the Chattogram Judicial Magistrate Court.

He told IANS that an enquiry report has been submitted to the magistrate court accusing 43 people under the penal code section 304.

According to PBI sources, apart from Junayed Babunagari, the accused also includes the names of organising secretary Azizul Haque Islamabadi, assistant organising secretary Mir Idris, assistant secretary general Habib Ullah, Hefazat leaders Nasir Uddin Munir, Ahsan Ullah, Zakaria Noman Fayezi, Abdul Matin, Shahidullah, Rizwan Arman, Jafar Ahmad, Enamul Hasan Farooqi, Anwar Shah and Shafiul Alam.

Meanwhile, Hefazat-e Islam's central assistant secretary general Mufti Sakhawat Hossain Raji was arrested from his house in the capital on Wednesday evening.

Another leader of Hefazat Islam, the preacher Rafiqul Islam Madani currently in jail. According to the cases against him, Rafiqul directly called for armed jihad and incited terrorism through his videos on YouTube, Facebook, and other social media websites.

Police found the evidences of many destructive attacks on temple, police and ruling party offices and state owned establishments were carried out in various places, including Dhaka, Narayanganj, Brahmanbaria and Chittagong, following Rafiqul's provocative statements.

Rafiqul Islam Madani has been accused of spreading negative and provocative remarks against the state and police by the name of Islam, through his YouTube channel, which created hate in the minds of the people and disrupted law and order, police said.

Source: IANS