Anwar Ali, Dinajpur
Islamic militant group Jamaatul Mujahidin planned to bomb International Mother Language Day programmes in different northern towns, according to a police report.
An open-air concert at Dinajpur Stadium and a mehendi festival at Dinajpur Institute were also their targets, the district police reported to Dhaka yesterday.
The Mujahidin plans were documented in maps and papers seized from their den at the town's Chhoto Gurgola area, the report said.
Seven bombs exploded at the den on February 13 and the activities of the Islamic militants were unearthed.
Swapan Rahman, one of the five organisers of the three-day Rupanjana Mehendi Utsav, said he received anonymous threats over telephone.
"I received at least four such calls and the callers asked me to stop the festival, which they termed anti-Islamic," Swapan said.
Police identified 17 persons who lived in the den. They are Nasim, Ishaq, Ali, Jamil, Sajjad, Imran, Mahmud Sayeed, Nasir, Amjad, Tarik, Yasin, Humayan Kabir, Hasan, Muaz, Murad and Manjur.
Each militant had a code number as revealed in the 'oath-taking letters' of the members.
The letters contained members' names, ages, fathers' names, educational qualifications, marital status and signatures.
The district Awami League Tuesday alleged that the police were trying to hide facts about the blasts.
Gono Forum General Secretary Saifuddin Ahmed Manik claimed at a press conference yesterday morning that police are playing a mysterious role and demanded formation of a judicial probe committee.
The newly formed Anti-fundamentalist Movement brought out a procession yesterday.
The investigating authorities are learnt to be keeping a close watch on the activities of Al-falah Aaam Development Organisation.
The organisation has been targeted because of its links to two people, Hafez Shahidulla and Anwar Sadat, who rented the tin-shed den for the militants.
Local people and police sources said the organisation used to work with Jamaat-e-Islami supporters.
Hafez Shahidullah and his son Anwar often visited the tin-shed and the organisation's office set up in 1989.
It has 54 staffers and about 6,000 members under 317 associations. It is involved in microcredit, water and sanitation, poultry, fisheries and afforestation projects in Ghoraghat, Birol, Hakimpur and Dinajpur Sadar upazilas.
At a press conference yesterday, Momtajul Islam, executive director of Al falah Aaam and a member of the district Jamaat, denied any link to the militants.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Police hunt for 100 members of 2 Islamic militant groups
Anwar Ali, Dinajpur
Police in the entire northern region have been frantically looking for some one hundred alleged members of Islamic militant groups--Jamaatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB) and Shahadat-e-Al Hiqma (SAH).
In Dinajpur, police gathered detailed information about the identification of the seven millitants who lived in the tin-shed house at Gurgoba area in the town.
They also got detaits of some 80 members of the JMB and raided several places in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Rangpur, Panchagarh, Nilphamari and Joypurhat in the last three days.
Police, however, could not arrest anybody as the millitants went into hiding following Dinajpur blasts.
Dinajpur police also collected some contact numbers of the millitants from the two mobile phones, recovered from the tin-shed house.
The OC of the Kotwali Thana in Dinajpur said that the bombs and bomb- making chemicals recovered from Gurgoba were similar to those found in Parbatipur upazila in May last.
On May 20, 2002, police arrested eight JMB members Shahabul Islam Sharif, Obaidullah, Lutfar Rahman, Mosharraf Hossain Zulfiqur, Anwar Hossain, Umar Faruk, Abu Bakkar Siddique and Mustakim from Zahanabad area in Parbatipur.
About 25 petrol bombs and some firearms and chemicals were also recovered from their possession.
Mustakim and Zulfiqur, out of the eight, were freed on bail on February 7 last.
The investigation of the Parbatipur incident was yet to be completed, police said.
In Rajshahi, Shahadat-e Al Hiqma (SAH) could not draw police's attention even after its chairman Sayed Kawsar Hussain in an open press conference on February 8 declared the emergence of the millitant party.
Police arrested an alleged SAH member on February 16.
Police filed a case in this regard accusing Shamim, another SAH member Mojibor, and SAH chairman Sayed Kawsar Hussain, but did not mention the party's name.
Shamim was taken on a two-day remand yesterday after police sought a 10-day remand at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.
Police in the entire northern region have been frantically looking for some one hundred alleged members of Islamic militant groups--Jamaatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (JMB) and Shahadat-e-Al Hiqma (SAH).
In Dinajpur, police gathered detailed information about the identification of the seven millitants who lived in the tin-shed house at Gurgoba area in the town.
They also got detaits of some 80 members of the JMB and raided several places in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Rangpur, Panchagarh, Nilphamari and Joypurhat in the last three days.
Police, however, could not arrest anybody as the millitants went into hiding following Dinajpur blasts.
Dinajpur police also collected some contact numbers of the millitants from the two mobile phones, recovered from the tin-shed house.
The OC of the Kotwali Thana in Dinajpur said that the bombs and bomb- making chemicals recovered from Gurgoba were similar to those found in Parbatipur upazila in May last.
On May 20, 2002, police arrested eight JMB members Shahabul Islam Sharif, Obaidullah, Lutfar Rahman, Mosharraf Hossain Zulfiqur, Anwar Hossain, Umar Faruk, Abu Bakkar Siddique and Mustakim from Zahanabad area in Parbatipur.
About 25 petrol bombs and some firearms and chemicals were also recovered from their possession.
Mustakim and Zulfiqur, out of the eight, were freed on bail on February 7 last.
The investigation of the Parbatipur incident was yet to be completed, police said.
In Rajshahi, Shahadat-e Al Hiqma (SAH) could not draw police's attention even after its chairman Sayed Kawsar Hussain in an open press conference on February 8 declared the emergence of the millitant party.
Police arrested an alleged SAH member on February 16.
Police filed a case in this regard accusing Shamim, another SAH member Mojibor, and SAH chairman Sayed Kawsar Hussain, but did not mention the party's name.
Shamim was taken on a two-day remand yesterday after police sought a 10-day remand at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court.
एदितोरिअल: Bomb explosion sequel
Bomb explosion sequel
Stop blame-game, catch कल्प्रिट्स
THE powerful bomb blasts in Dinajpur city last Thursday, just a day after the Eid-ul-Azha, raked up some of the memories of a series of explosions in cinema halls during the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays a few months back। Though this time, fortunately, the blasts did not cause any widespread damage in terms of human casualties, the scene and the timing of the blasts should not be overlooked। The bombs seemingly went off while being made in a tin shed house which had been allegedly rented by members of an Islamic group called Za'amatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (ZMB). Police also recovered shutter guns, revolver, cartridges, time-bomb circuit and leaflets containing militant messages. It is worthwhile to mention that closely on the heels of Dinajpur blasts, activities of a militant outfit called Shahadat-e-Al-Hikma in Rajshahi have been banned.
There is a belief that the bombs were probably being made to attack some cultural and other programmes that were to be held after Eid celebrations. In fact some organisers said that they had been asked to call off the programmes or face dire consequences. With so many clues available, it should not be difficult for the investigators to get to the bottom of these blasts and track down those responsible. But on a hindsight, we wonder why the police did not allow newsmen near the scene of occurrence and also snatched the camera from a photographer on duty. Not only that, according to a highly placed police official, the organisation had been doing its 'underground work' for more than a year! If they had this information with them, then why did they not take any action against it until now? A high district official's reported expression of relief that the blasts did not occur at a public place only highlighted the local administration's intelligence failure to nip clandestine activities in their bud.
The authorities have not been able to solve any of the previous bomb explosion incidents that had cost many lives and put our image on the line. Because of the blame game the ruling and opposition parties play against each other in such circumstances, the real culprits have always gotten away. But things ought to be different when the failure to solve the mysteries does not only reflect on our forensic abilities but also our image. Our bottomline counsel to the government would be a reiteration of what we have been urging lately: go seek assistance from reputed international intelligence agencies to ferret out the masterminds behind the bomb explosions in the country which have occurred in a pattern.
Stop blame-game, catch कल्प्रिट्स
THE powerful bomb blasts in Dinajpur city last Thursday, just a day after the Eid-ul-Azha, raked up some of the memories of a series of explosions in cinema halls during the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays a few months back। Though this time, fortunately, the blasts did not cause any widespread damage in terms of human casualties, the scene and the timing of the blasts should not be overlooked। The bombs seemingly went off while being made in a tin shed house which had been allegedly rented by members of an Islamic group called Za'amatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (ZMB). Police also recovered shutter guns, revolver, cartridges, time-bomb circuit and leaflets containing militant messages. It is worthwhile to mention that closely on the heels of Dinajpur blasts, activities of a militant outfit called Shahadat-e-Al-Hikma in Rajshahi have been banned.
There is a belief that the bombs were probably being made to attack some cultural and other programmes that were to be held after Eid celebrations. In fact some organisers said that they had been asked to call off the programmes or face dire consequences. With so many clues available, it should not be difficult for the investigators to get to the bottom of these blasts and track down those responsible. But on a hindsight, we wonder why the police did not allow newsmen near the scene of occurrence and also snatched the camera from a photographer on duty. Not only that, according to a highly placed police official, the organisation had been doing its 'underground work' for more than a year! If they had this information with them, then why did they not take any action against it until now? A high district official's reported expression of relief that the blasts did not occur at a public place only highlighted the local administration's intelligence failure to nip clandestine activities in their bud.
The authorities have not been able to solve any of the previous bomb explosion incidents that had cost many lives and put our image on the line. Because of the blame game the ruling and opposition parties play against each other in such circumstances, the real culprits have always gotten away. But things ought to be different when the failure to solve the mysteries does not only reflect on our forensic abilities but also our image. Our bottomline counsel to the government would be a reiteration of what we have been urging lately: go seek assistance from reputed international intelligence agencies to ferret out the masterminds behind the bomb explosions in the country which have occurred in a pattern.
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