His ill-fated parents, after a frenzied haunt, soon learned that he joined Hizbut Tawhid, an Islamic extremist outfit.

Six months later, Rubel was brought back home from Dhaka following pressure from an influential local leader. But soon after, Rubel asked his mother to again let him go. "What if I die at home? Is it not better I die establishing Islam?"

Hizbut Tawhid Rajshahi divisional chief Rabiul Islam and his deputy Piarul (also Rubel's brother-in-law) persuaded him to go to Dhaka for 'Hizraat' (migration for religion).

Rubel is now engaged in an 'early stage of Jihad' while working undercover as a mechanic at an electric workshop of a top Hizb leader at Jatrabari in Dhaka.

His mother cried while narrating his story to this correspondent and sought help to get her son back.

Hizbut Tawhid, despite having a track record of militancy stretching back to 2003, has been allowed to operate freely until now.

According to local Hizb leaders, groups of 6 to 11 'skilled mujahids' are operating in almost every district in the country to persuade youths like Rubel to join in the preparation for an armed Jihad and to establish Islamic rule in Bangladesh.

Apart from their networks with extremists in India, Pakistan and the United States, they have also many rich people in Bangladesh to fund their cause, sources inside the organisation say.

Hizbut Tawhid aimed at Jihad
"We are now at a primary level of Jihad and limit our work to awareness building and seeking new mujahids (religious warriors)," Rajshahi chief Rabiul Islam told this correspondent.

"Enemies of Muslims are oppressing us all over the world. There is no alternative to Jihad. But the appropriate time has still not come. However, joining our group, one should be ready for sacrificing his life and property," he explained when asked for the reasons behind their activities.

"It is not very far when we will ask the government to run the country under Islamic law. If they can not, we will ask them to hand over power to us. If they don't, we will tell them that they will face a war, which we will wage," said the divisional operations commander, Altaf Hossain.

"We will have our 'trained mujahids' everywhere by that time to force the government to do as we say," the 55-year-old continued as this correspondent, posing as a new recruit, interviewed him near his Char Kajla house in the city a few weeks ago. Altaf Hossain worked for Jamaat-e-Islam party for eight years before he joined Hizbut Tawhid.

"Our Imam (Panni who is already criticised widely for his controversial book -'This Islam is not the Islam') is writing a new book to jolt the world soon, detailing our real targets," he added.

Asked about joining as mujahids in other countries, he said, "You (this correspondent) can go wherever you wish, even in America. We get everything we need for Islam..."

"You will get our mujahids at every district. Senior mujahids are sent to some districts to collect and train people. Six rich men from Kushtia were sent to Natore recently. They started living ther; three of them pull rickshaws while the rest do work for Islam alternatively," said Altaf.

The militant activities in Rajshahi division are normally controlled from Kushtia, where their stronghold lies, they said. In Rajshahi city, their strongholds are Auctroy intersection, Dharampur, Char Kajla areas.

According to Altaf, the militants in Rajshahi are guided by an 11-member team headed by Rabiul Islam of Sakopara of Motihar thana in the city.

Locals suspect them of being armed
Local people of the area told this correspondent that the group has been active since 2000. But from 2003 their operations have become open and more aggressive. They freely talk about armed Islamic revolution.

They go out to a new village every Friday, said a source, adding that poor youths receive financial help if they join. Some also receive a cell phone. Many young people join the group, disobeying their parents, and some of the area-dwellers believe that many of them have firearms.

"They are touts and work on hire. Some of them were arrested in other districts before. They must have arms, as they do not care for the local armed cadres of other parties," said a resident of Dharampur, a virtual hideout for criminals.

Hizb leaflet & Programmes
The Daily Star obtained the outfit's 48-page programme paper, which outlined its five-point mission for 'real Islam', including obeying one Imam, Hizraat, and the need for Jihad.

'After swearing in Tawhid (the sovereignty of Allah), the best work is to fight for establishing the rule of Allah'. 'Only a Jihad can establish Islam in the world', the booklet says.

The group criticises the work of existing Imams and acknowledged Islamic scholars, according to local people, who reported seeing the militants scuffling with Imams of mosques in the local areas.

Previous militant records
Hizbut Tawhid militants clashed with madrassa students at Poradaha railway station of Mirpur upazila in Kushtia, leaving 45 injured on September 9 in 2003, when some 15 militants were calling upon people to join a Jihad. Police arrested 13 militants, but they were later released.

A hizb leader's wife was killed and many other people injured in Jugia of Kushtia on September 13 when madrassa students attacked them for circulating leaflets.

On September 19, police raided a secret meeting and arrested 14 operatives in Kushtia town. Police seized a large number of leaflets from their possession.

On July 3, 2003, Police and Bangladesh Rifles in a joint raid arrested 14 Hizb operatives from the Borobazar in Kushtia town and seized leaflets from them.