Islamist group planned Friday protests on Facebook: police

Students of madrasas and other supporters of Hifazat-e Islam leader Mamunul Haque opened a Facebook chat group to plan protests in Dhaka.

Protests and counter-protests erupted over the construction of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s statue. The Islamists launched protests against the demonstration by an organisation, named the Muktijuddho Mancha, which demanded the arrest of Mamunul for opposing the construction of Bangabandhu’s statue.

Mamunul, who is also acting secretary general of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish and president of its youth front Bangladesh Jubo Khelafat Majlish, demanded the removal of the statue of the Father of the Nation in Dhaka’s Dholairpar at a party event in the capital on Nov 13.

The radical group took out a procession on Nov 27 after gathering at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on the pretext of Friday prayers. They ended up clashing with the police, according to two cases filed with Paltan and Ramna police.

The law enforcers have arrested 23 people in the two cases.

Abu Bakr Siddique, OC of Paltan Police Station, said they had arrested 14 people on charges of obstructing police duty. Another nine people were arrested on similar charges, said Monirul Islam, OC of Ramna Police Station.

The arrestees were produced in a court on Saturday. The police did not seek a remand order for them. Most of the arrestees are aged between 18 and 30. Most of them are madrasa students, the police officials said.

The police collected bricks, footwear and a broken plastic shield as evidence.

According to the case details, the Muktijuddho Mancha occupied the Shahbagh intersection, demanding the arrest of Mamunul for his remarks opposing the construction of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s statue. The Muktijuddho Mancha also burnt the effigies of Mamunul.

Madrasa students and other supporters of Mamunul, who gathered in the guise of worshippers, took out a procession after the Friday prayers in protest against the Mancha’s demonstration.

They marched on from the Nightingale point to Shantinagar. Clashes erupted after the police moved to disperse them at Shantinagar. The protesters threw brickbats at the police before fleeing through the alleyways in nearby areas.

Citing some arrestees, the case with the Paltan police states that the protests were galvanised by the Facebook group, “Shahikhul Hadis Muhammad Mamunul Haque Supporters Group”.

The case with the Ramna police has not mentioned any particular group.