Red alert in 16 dists, madrassahs under police watch

Anwar Ali, Dinajpur


A 'red alert' was issued to police stations and outposts in 16 districts under Rajshahi Police Range yesterday following Thursday's bomb blasts at Dinajpur.

Detective police have been asked to keep close watch on all madrassahs and Islamic organisations in the region, police sources said.


Plainclothes police teams have fanned out to nab two of the injured persons who fled away in a waiting white microbus after seven powerful bombs exploded in a tin-shed house at Chhoto Gurgola in the town. Three persons were critically injured.


Dinajpur Police Superintendent S M Kamal Hossain told The Daily Star that "important information" was gathered during interrogation of the two madrassah teachers arrested in connections with the blasts.

The two -- Hafez Habibur Rahman alias Shafiqul Islam and Faruk Hossain are now on three days' remand. They are teachers of Hazrat Aayisa Siddiqa (R) Salafia Islamia Girls' Madrassah in the area.


Badal, another person critically injured in the blasts, is now under treatment at the Dinajpur Medical College Hospital.

A source in the investigation team said, "Any major development in the investigation is unlikely till the condition of Badal improves to allow interrogation or any other resident of the tin-shed house in caught".

A three-member CID team from Dhaka, led by ASP Atiqur Rahman Munshi, and a police team led by Kotwali thana OC Shahid Shukrama are jointly investigating the bomb blasts.


It is suspected that the persons responsible for the incident belong to Za'amatul Mujahidin Bangladesh (ZMB), allegedly an Islamic extremist group.

The organisation has been doing its "underground work" in the region for more than a year now, said a highly placed police official.


A heavy contingent of armed police is still cordoning the house.


In October last, one Hafez Shahidullah of Kamar Kachai area in the town and one Kari Obaidul, an official of Al Falah Alam (universal) Development Organisation, rented a ground floor of a three storied building in Chhoto Gurgola area and opened the madrassah.


They also rented the two-room tin-shed house to lodge teachers of the madrassah. At least seven teachers were residing but many others used to stay there occasionally, local people said.


They said residents of the tin-shed house hardly mixed with them. They even did not go to nearby stores to buy essentials, they said.


"They were above all suspicion as they used to recite from the holy Quran always and acted like typical Islamic clerics," a house owner in the area said.


The presence of ZMB in the region came to light on May 20 last year when police arrested eight of its members including 'commander' Shahabul Islam from Jahauabad in Parbatipur in Dinajpur.


Police had also recovered 25 petrol bombs, ten audio cassettes, six subscription collection receipt books, four diaries and three registry books from them. The eight are in custody and investigation is on but no clue could be found, police sources said.