Back in Bangladesh, Latif Siddique stirs rage and rumours

Debates raged the whole day long about Abdul Latif Siddique, still facing fire right, left and centre for his anti-Hajj rant two months ago, after the former telecoms minister returned to Bangladesh Sunday night.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 Nov 2014, 08:26 PM
Updated : 24 Nov 2014, 09:41 PM

Demonstrations were held and threats to call shutdown made for his arrest from morning to evening on Monday.

Political parties in discussions and statements earlier in the day expressed frustration over police's failure to nab the 77-year old politician.

To make things even worse for him, several of his colleagues heated up Parliament in the evening demanding that he be stripped of the right to represent Tangail-4 constituency.

But Siddique, who had lost his Cabinet berth and Awami League membership for his tirade at an event in New York, was untraced during the day.

His whereabouts are still unknown since he landed at Shahjalal International Airport Sunday night.

A rumour spread in the morning that Siddique had gone to the High Court to secure bail, but he was nowhere to be seen.

The Cabinet holds a scheduled meeting every Monday.

A minister in Sheikh Hasina's Cabinet, asking not to be named, told bdnews24.com that the Cabinet members spoke among themselves about their former colleague for a bit, but that stopped the second the prime minister stepped into the room.

Many Islamist organisations started demonstrating demanding Latif Siddique's punishment after his derogatory remarks on Hajj on Sept 29 opened a barrage of criticism.

"I'm more averse to Hajj and Tabligh than I am to Jamaat-e-Islami. So much manpower is wasted over Hajj. Two million people are now in Saudi Arabia for Hajj. They have no work or role in production. They only eat and go abroad using the country’s money," he had said.

Later, the minister of posts, telecommunications and information technology was axed from the Cabinet. He went on to lose the party's primary membership and Awami League expelled him.

The politician, however, spent this whole time abroad. He went to India from the US and from there he suddenly returned to Bangladesh.

Since then, he went off the radar and attempts to contact him failed.

His family had moved his stuff from the official residence after he lost his ministerial post. He also did not move back inti his house at the capital's Dhanmondi.

Siddique is already accused in dozens of cases filed across the country over charges of hurting religious sentiments. He is also wanted in several of them.
He managed to slip off the airport Sunday night 'safely' only because of government backing, BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said.
“It is clear that he has huge government backing. Otherwise, how could he simply leave the airport? Why wasn’t he arrested?”
Even Jatiya Party Chairman and the prime minister's special envoy HM Ershad questioned police's role over Siddique 'evading arrest'.
"How could he get out of the airport in front of police. Is he above the law?"

Several Jatiya Party and independent MPs in Parliament also demanded cancellation of Siddique's membership and immediate arrest.

Facing queries why the former telecoms minister was not arrested yet, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told reporters that Siddique's arrest was being delayed as there were some 'legal complications'.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury also made it clear while talking to bdnews24.com that no prior approval from her was required to arrest the Tangail-4 MP.

However, Awami League MP Suranjit Sengupta in Parliament mentioned the legal matters related to the issue after the MPs vented anger.

He said there was no legal bar in arresting Siddique, but the Constitution did not give the Speaker the power to cancel his membership.

A Dhaka court, which earlier issued a warrant for Siddique in a case, on Monday asked police to arrest him.

Chittagong-based Islamist outfit Hifazat-e Islam Sunday night threatened of launching a movement after news reports revealed Siddique's arrival in Dhaka.

Hifazat on Monday demonstrated on the streets of the capital. It has also threatened a countrywide shutdown on Thursday if Siddique was not arrested by Wednesday.
Several other Islamist organisations have also demanded Siddique's immediate arrest.
Meanwhile, newly formed political alliance the National Democratic Front (NDF) has called a daylong nationwide strike for Tuesday on the same demand.
Students sitting Primary School Certificate (PSC) and Ebtedayee examinations and their parents are worried over the shutdown calls that have coincided with the tests.
On several previous occasions, political shutdowns forced the education ministry to reschedule the tests of different public examinations.
However, authorities on Monday said Tuesday's tests would not be deferred.