Cops, BGB on high alert
Law enforces have been alerted to any law and order situation across the country ahead of the verdict on appeals in the war crimes case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee.
“Police superintendents of all districts were asked to take effective measures centring on the delivery of the verdict,” Hassan Mahmood Khandker, inspector general of police, told The Daily Star last night.
The Supreme Court is set to declare the verdict today on appeals in the case against the 73-year-old Jamaat nayeb-e-ameer. The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on February 28 last year had handed death penalty to him for committing crimes against humanity in Pirojpur during the Liberation War in 1971.
Police, said the IGP, is prepared to tackle any probable violence.
State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan said special measures will be taken in Jamaat strongholds.
The Jamaat is likely to announce a tougher agitation programme including hartal if the SC upheld Sayedee's capital punishment, party sources said.
In an emergency meeting last night, Jamaat policymakers discussed its next course of action over the SC verdict.
Party high-ups have asked its leaders and activists and Islami Chhatra Shibir men to get prepared for any tougher movement, a Shibir leader told this newspaper yesterday.
The law and order issue came at the forefront of people's mind as the news of SC verdict in Sayedee's case spread yesterday noon. People feared about recurrence of widespread violence across the country over the verdict as they saw over one and a half years ago.
WILD PROTESTS
Immediately after the tribunal's verdict, Jamaat-Shibir activists had unleashed terror across the country to protest Sayedee's death penalty. At least 65 people were killed and several hundreds injured within seven days after the verdict.
Besides, temples, houses, shops and businesses of religious minorities, especially the Hindus, were vandalised and torched.
And that was not all. Houses and properties of prosecution witnesses, prosecutors and judges of tribunals came under attack allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir men during the anti-government movement last year.
A key prosecution witness in Sayedee's case, Mostafa Hawlader was injured critically in December last year when he came under attack allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir men at his house in Pirojpur. He died of his wounds two days later.
Another prosecution witness Mahabubul Alam Howlader was injured in an attack allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir activists on October 28 last year.
Talking to this correspondent, Mahabubul yesterday said though the government has provided the witnesses with strong security, they still feared fresh attacks.
Meanwhile, police in Pirojpur, the home district of Sayedee, have taken necessary measures to tackle any law and order situation, reports our correspondent.
Shah Abid Hossain, superintendent of Pirojpur police, said security has been beefed up for all witnesses in Sayedee's case.
After holding an emergency meeting, Jamaat yesterday issued a release calling upon the people to pray for Sayedee so that the government cannot “victimize” him.
The party demanded immediate release of Sayedee claiming that he was handed punishment on “false and imaginary charges” and on the basis of “false witnesses”.
Although Jamaat earlier announced hartals on almost every date of verdict delivery by the international crimes tribunals, it refrained from enforcing a shutdown this time around.
GONOJAGORON MANCHA BACK
Led by Imran H Sarker, a faction of Gonojagoron Mancha gathered at the capital's Shahbagh last evening demanding capital punishment for Sayedee.
Speaking at a rally, Imran said people hope that Sayedee will get the due punishment for committing crimes against humanity.
“People will not allow any conspiracy over the verdict. If the verdict doesn't reflect their expectations, they will once again take to the streets and realise their demands through waging a spontaneous movement as they did in the past,” he insisted.
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