Police charge BNP’s Aslam with sedition over ‘plot with Israel to overthrow Bangladesh govt’

Police have brought sedition charges against BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury, charging him with ‘conspiring to overthrow the Hasina government in collusion with a leader of Israel’s ruling party’.

Detective Branch (DB) Inspector Golam Rabbani initiated a case in this regard at Gulshan Police Station on Thursday evening after the home ministry cleared the move.

DB Deputy Commissioner (North) Sheikh Nazmul Alam told bdnews24.com the case had been lodged under Sections 120/B (criminal conspiracy), 121/A (conspiracy to wage war against Bangladesh) and 124/A (sedition) of the Bangladesh Penal Code.

The highest punishment in the first section is death and life imprisonment in the other two.

‘Aslam, Safadi struck a deal’

Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque told reporters at noon that the home ministry had cleared them to book the BNP leader from Chittagong.

“He (Aslam) tried to create anarchy by making the present government seem unpopular to the leaders of Israel’s Likud party. Our initial investigation has found evidence that suggests so.

“We had sought the home ministry's permission to file a sedition case against Aslam Chowdhury. The ministry has sanctioned that,” he said.

The IGP claimed Aslam had ‘confessed’ during interrogation to ‘striking a deal’ with Likud Party leader Mendi N Safadi.

“He has admitted that he agreed to pay for a conspiracy designed by that leader to topple the government.”

Hoque said Safadi was ‘connected’ to Israeli spy agency Mossad and Aslam held ‘several meetings’ with him in India.

“Information he (Aslam) had revealed during the questioning has made it clear that he was involved in anti-state activities.”

Asked whether names of any other BNP leaders had surfaced, he said the investigation is ongoing. “He had some associates with him. We’ll be able to get the full picture after we arrest them. Then it will become clear who else is involved in this.”

Coming under spotlight

A recently appointed BNP joint secretary general, Aslam came into the limelight because of his meeting with Safadi during an event in New Delhi this year.

Safadi was a former advisor to Israeli deputy minister MK Ayoub Karar. He also runs the Mendi N Safadi Center - for International Diplomacy and Public Relations.

Leaders of the ruling Awami League have since claimed that the meeting between the two was part of a conspiracy to overthrow Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with help of Mossad.

The BNP has been denying the allegation, saying Aslam’s India trip was ‘personal’.

He was arrested in Dhaka on May 15 and questioned in police custody for seven days.

Aslam and Safadi both had admitted meeting each other in Delhi but claimed nothing covert was discussed.

But the BNP leader also has claimed that he was not aware that Safadi was a Likud Party leader.

In their plea to remand Aslam, police said questioning him was necessary because ‘he met a Mossad official in India’ and there were allegations against him of ‘conspiring with Israel against the government’.

But his lawyers said he went on a five-day trip to India for medical treatment.

The photos published in the media were from an ‘event he was invited to’, where he ‘met some Israeli people’. Aslam did not have a meeting with them, they said.

Police on Tuesday showed him arrested in two cases of violence and sought 10 more days’ remand in each of the cases filed in January last year.

The court fixed May 30 to hear the remand appeal.