12 cases against Hifazat leaders

Top leaders of the Hifazat-e Islam have been accused in 12 cases of murder, vandalism, arson and destruction of properties and other charges.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 6 May 2013, 04:19 PM
Updated : 6 May 2013, 04:19 PM

The lawsuits were filed at Paltan and Motijheel police stations in the capital, Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Motijheel division) Nazmul Alam said on Monday night.

A Motijheel Division police official also confirmed told bdnews24.com that the cases were lodged on Monday night. Of them, a murder case was filed with the Paltan police.

Police filed five of the cases while the rest were lodged by the victims, the official said.

Asked in which case Hifazat Secretary General Junaid Babu Nagari would be shown arrested, the police official said it was yet to be decided.

Most of the accused in these cases are the top leaders of the Hifazat, a little-known Chittagong-based radical group which allegedly has strong Jamaat-e-Islami backing and has also gained support from main opposition BNP.

The cases were lodged over the clashes between Hifazat supporters and law enforcers from Sunday noon until evening.

At least 14 people died during the violent clashes at the capital's Paltan, Gulistan, Dainik Bangla, Bijoynagar and Motijheel.

Hifazat supporters smashed and torched numerous shops and vehicles in those areas during that time and set fire to the Communist Party of Bangladesh headquarters. They set ablaze at least 750 shops on three sides of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque – north, south and west – including book stores on the footpath that sold the Quran, the Hadith and other religious books.

A joint raid by police, RAB and BGB in the wee hours of Monday drove the Hifazat supporters out from Motijheel. One of the policemen was reportedly stabbed to death at Razarbagh by retreating Hifazat men.