The government has started action against Islamist organisation Hefazat-e-Islam. Hundreds of field workers, including eight top Hefazat leaders, have been arrested already. The police said that the action against Hefazat would continue.
Hefazat, which had publicly declared itself as a non-political organisation, first laid siege to Dhaka on 5 May 2013, with demands to declare Bangladesh an Islamic state, and carried out extensive vandalism and arson. BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia supported them and called on BNP workers to join the Hefazat movement. Sheikh Hasina’s government at that time suppressed the Islamist protest severely. After a long period of silence, on 26-27 March, the outfit resorted to violence again when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh.
On 17 April, the government arrested Hefazat’s Joint Secretary General Mamunul Haque. Earlier, seven other top leaders of Hefazat were detained. Hundreds of their leaders and activists have also been arrested. Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has said that all these religious businessmen will not be given exemption. Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police have arrested Mohammad Junaid Al Habib, Central Joint-Secretary General of Hefazat-e-Islam and President of Dhaka Metropolitan. Earlier, detectives arrested Maulana Jalal Uddin Ahmed, Assistant Secretary General of the Central Committee of Hefazat. Azizul Haque Islamabadi, the Central Organising Secretary, was arrested earlier, and four other leaders are in police custody.
Vice-President of Hefazat›s Dhaka unit Maulana Jubair Ahmed was also arrested by police from Lalbagh on Friday, 16 April, and sent for five days in custody for questioning. He was remanded in an old case of violence in Motijheel eight years ago. On Saturday, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Jasim’s court granted a ten-day remand, but the judge granted him a five-day remand.
Mahbub Alam, Joint Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police and chief of the detective police, said Junaid al-Habib was arrested from Jamia Madania Madrasa in Baridhara. In addition to the responsibilities of the Central Committee, he is also the President of Dhaka Metropolitan Hefazat-e-Islam. The intelligence officer said that his involvement was found in the case filed in the Shapla Chattar area in the case of sabotage of Hefazat.
Earlier on Saturday afternoon, Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police arrested Maulana Jalaluddin Ahmad, Assistant Secretary General of Hefazat-e-Islam and Joint-Secretary General of Bangladesh Khilafah Majlis. He was arrested from his home in Mohammadpur at noon. Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Hafiz Akhter said that Ahmad has been arrested in a case filed on 26 March in connection with the sabotage at Baitul Mukarram and Shapla Chattar in 2013. He was taken into the custody of the Detective Branch (DB) on Saturday. He will be produced in court and remand will be sought.
A total of eight central leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam have been arrested in the last few days. More leaders and activists have been arrested in different districts. The biggest catch has been Hefazat›s Joint Secretary General Mamunul Haque.
Hefazat leaders Shakhawat Hossain Razi, Fakhrul Islam and Manjurul Islam, who were earlier arrested along with Azizul Haque Islamabadi, the central organising secretary of Hefazat, are currently in police remand. A source in the police said that they were being questioned in connection with the sabotage in 2013.