Hifazat regrets ‘attack’ on scribes

Amid widespread criticism from various quarters, Hifazat-e Islam has regretted Saturday’s ‘attacks on journalists during its rally in the capital.

The Chittagong-based group on Sunday said ‘government henchmen’ might have been behind the attacks which also injured a woman journalist.

“Several miscreants had carried out the attacks,” the radical group’s Naeb-e-Amir Nur Hossain Kashemi said at a press conference at the headquarters of the Islami Oikya Jote at Lalbagh in Dhaka.

Four journalists, including a bdnews24.com reporter, were injured in the attacks. Private channel Ekushey Television’s reporter Nadia Sharmin was attacked near the office of the Jatiya Party allegedly by Hifazat supporters.

The group had been demanding abrogation of the women’s policy and banning public mixing of men and women, among other things.

Kashemi alleged the attacks were carried out only to ‘tarnish’ Hifazat’s image and added that miscreants could have easily infiltrated such a huge gathering.

“The ruling party supporters could be behind the incident,” he alleged.

“We are sorry if any of our supporters were involved with the incident,” Kashemi added.

Speakers at the programme claimed that the shutdown to be enforced by Hifzat on Monday would be a peaceful one.

After the press conference, talking to bdnews24.com the coordinator of Hifazat’s rally, Mufti Mizanur Rahman, said the attackers “lack knowledge on the Quran and the Hadith”.

“The Quran and Hadith talk about deserved respects to both men and women,” he added.

Kashemi said that no incident of vandalism, torching and attacks on shops would take place on Monday.

He requested the transport owners not to ply vehicles on that day “to save their Iman (faith).”

The group called the nationwide daylong general strike for Monday protesting against the ‘government’s obstructions’ to its long march to Dhaka and in support of its 13-point charter of demands.

Secretary General Zunaid Babu Nogri said they would hold rallies in Sylhet on Apr 11, Brahmanbaria on Apr 12, Mymensingh on Apr 13, Barisal on Apr 18, Faridpur on Apr 19, Khulna on Apr 20, Chittagong on Apr 26, Rajshahi on Apr 29 and Bogra on Apr 30.

They have also threatened to lay siege to Dhaka on May 5 unless the government met their demands.

Shahbagh’s Ganajagaran Mancha has already threatened to resist the strike called by the group which came to limelight after announcing plans to resist the demonstrators, who have been demanding death sentence to war criminals and a ban on Jamaat, fom entering Chittagong recently.