RAB, police deployed at Baitul Mukarram entrance, security checks ongoing

Bags carried by Muslim devotees coming for prayers at the mosque are undergoing security checks

The authorities have deployed a large number of police and Rapid Action Battalion personnel at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after Hizb ut-Tahrir, a banned Islamist organisation, announced a programme at the location. Bags carried by Muslim devotees coming to the prayer service at the mosque are undergoing security checks.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police had already issued an alert regarding the Hizb ut-Tahrir's programme. On Friday, the Police Headquarters said in a statement, "Hizb ut-Tahrir is a banned outfit. According to the law, all of their activities are punishable offences."

The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime, or CTTC, unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police have also arrested three members of Hizb ut-Tahrir. They were taken into custody from Uttara Sectors 11 and 12 around midnight on Thursday. The arrestees were named in a case filed with the Uttara West Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Under the circumstances, police and members of RAB took up positions two hours before the Jummah prayers at the Baitul Mukarram on Friday.

They are checking the bags carried by the devotees coming to the mosque. They are also making queries about the identities of some of devotees and also collecting other information. The RAB and policemen are equipped with airguns, shotguns, and other riot prevention gear. Water cannons and armoured vehicles have also been kept ready in the vicinity.

Following the transition of power, the religious-based group Hizb ut-Tahrir restarted their operations, with the primary objective of creating an Islamic caliphate and implementing Sharia law through their political activities.

The organisation, which previously conducted its activities in secret, is now carrying them out more publicly. On Friday, they announced a programme at Baitul Mukarram. Members handed out pamphlets and hung posters across Dhaka, including Dhaka University, to publicise the event.

The DMP had issued a warning on Thursday, saying "action will be taken" if the banned group attempted to host a programme at Baitul Mukarram.