Four years on, cases on Hifazat mayhem still in limbo

Most of the cases that were filed following the ruckus of Islamist outfit Hifazat-e-Islam in Dhaka on May 5, 2013 have seen little or no progress over the past four years.

Police say the plotters have been identified but not all of those “foot soldiers” who carried out the mayhem.

Different quarters speculate that the culprits might be able to dodge the trial as police are still struggling with investigation.

The recent meeting held between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Hifazat delegation has added to the apprehension.

Police have submitted charges in only 15 out of the 83 cases that followed the incident, according to Police’s Counter Terrorism Unit’s chief Monirul Islam.

None of them named Hifazat chief Amir Shah Ahmad Shafi as a suspect.

“Thousands of people gathered in the rally of Hifazat that day. So it may take some more time to gather data and specify who were directly involved in the misconducts,” said officer Monirul.

“People from all over the country joined the rally. We are trying to confirm their identities and also what role they played during the rally, individually or collectively,” he told bdnews24.com.

Hifazat, a Qawmi madrasa-based organisation, came to the forefront with a demand for punishment to ‘atheist bloggers’ after the Ganajagaran Movement started in 2013 demanding capital punishment for the 1971 war criminals.

The outfit put forward 13 demands back then, of which the government recently granted one by recognising a top Qawmi madrasa degree as equivalent to post-graduate degrees.

On May 5, 2013, Hifazat leaders and activists blocked six entrances of capital Dhaka and took position at the Shapla Chattar in Motijheel at the end of their programme.

Clashes between police and the activists continued throughout the day. The Hifazat men vandalised hundreds of makeshift shops in Motijheel, Paltan and adjacent areas, damaged several government and private establishments.

According to a claim of police, 39 police personnel died while fighting Hifazat men in parts of the capital.

The Hifazat activists were driven out finally after a crackdown by police, RAB and Border Guard Bangladesh or BGB that night.

The cases

According to the Police Headquarters, 84,976 people were accused in 83 cases filed in five districts including the capital.

Activists of Hifazat-e-Islam, Islami Oikya Jote, Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatra Shibir, Nezam-e-Islam, Khilafat Majlish, Khilafat Andolan, Jomiyote Ulamaye Islam, BNP, Juba Dal and Chhatra Dal are named among the 3,416 accused who have been identified.

Police have filed charges in 15 cases. Only one case has been settled in Bagerhat where all of the accused were acquitted.

According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police, 53 cases were filed with Ramna, Motijheel, Wari, and Tejgaon Police Station in Dhaka. Police submitted charges in four of them. The rest of the 49 cases are under investigation.

Separate cases were filed on each and every incident of violence that took place on May 5, said officer Monirul.

“Most of the masterminds have been identified but not all the foot soldiers,” he said.

The investigation in the case over the murder of Sub-Inspector Shahjahan is not over yet.

“Some of the accused have confessed while there are names of leaders of different organisations police need to sort out,” said Monirul.

The case on attacks on a constable at a traffic police outpost is under investigation.

Court police could not yield anything on the progress of the cases.

Six people died while clashing with police at Chittagong’s Hathazari on May 6 during a blockade enforced by Hifazat. Police filed a case over the incident accusing 53 identified and four to five thousand unidentified people. An investigation is ongoing in the case.

Two Hifazat activists died during clash with police in Bagerhat.

Six cases were filed on the incident where 10,000 to 12,000 unidentified people were accused including local activists of Hifazat, Jamaat and BNP.

The accused were acquitted in one case filed at Fokirhat Police Station because no one testified. Charges have been submitted in five others.

Seven cases were filed over clashes between Hifazat men and police-BGB at Kanchpur-Shimrail neighbourhood in Narayanganj.

Narayanganj Superintendent of Police Moinul Hoque said charges have been filed in five of the cases while the rest were under investigation.

Hifazat claims of harassment through ‘false cases’

Hifazat leaders and activists are being harassed following the cases on May 5 incident, says the organisation’s Central Organising Secretary Ajijul Hoque Islamabadi.

He said Hifazat Mymensingh unit’s Joint General Secretary Shahidullah Sarker was picked up from his house around 10 days before.

“Some men claiming to be Detective Branch officials whisked him away. Now he is missing.”

Hifazat Narayanganj unit President Ferdous Rahman was whisked away in the same manner. Later, he was produced to court, claimed Islamabadi.

At least 22 leaders and activists of Hifazat including its central leaders were held following the cases. All of them are out on bail.

“False cases have been piled up to torture the scholars of this country in an unprecedented manner,” said the Hifazat leader.

The Hifazat men have been accused in some of those cases filed against BNP and Jamaat, claimed Hifazat leaders.

“Jatiya Party and other allies of the government supported us in the May 5 programme. But cases were not filed against them,” claimed Islamabadi.

Hifazat did not wage the movement to soar to power rather it was a protest against those denigrating Islam, he added.

The government has not signed any deal with Hifazat, said the leader. “Our leaders met the prime minister as citizens of this country. They asked her to withdraw the false cases.”

Government has accepted Hifazat: Shahriar Kabir

Hifazat is still the same anti-woman and reactionary body, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmool Committee President Shahriar Kabir said cautioning the government.

“They want to destroy all achievements of the Liberation War,” he told bdnews24.com.

“They are trying to drag back Bangladesh and in doing so, they have stirred some public sentiments over their 13-point demands.”

Citing his white-paper published after the May 5 Hifazat mayhem, Shahriar said: “Hifazat Amir (chief) Shafi and other top leaders were involved in 1971 crimes against humanity.”

“They formed a Mujaheed Bahini where Nezam-e-Islam leaders were involved. Bangabandhu had officially banned Nezam-e-Islam.”

“Although the government has not signed any deal with Hifazat, it has held a meeting with them which gives them some kind of assurance that their demands are accepted.”

It is natural that police will not be concerned over the cases against Hifazat anymore as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has hold a meeting with them, added Shahriar.

The prime minister has concurred with the demand of the Islamist hardliners that the statue of Lady Justice at the Supreme Court premises should be removed.