Although there is plenty of video footage and photos showing that the recent countrywide mayhem was unleashed by Hefajat-e-Islam, only a handful of people from the Islamist organisation have been accused in the cases over the violence.

As Hefajat began nationwide protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, the demonstrations turned violent in certain districts, including Brahmanbaria, Chattogram, Kishoreganj and Narayanganj.

At least 25 cases have so far been filed against over 15,000 people, but only one accused 32 top Hefajat leaders in Dhaka. Other than that, Hefajat names are nary in sight.

There are, however, many BNP leaders and activists who have been accused in the cases.

The Daily Star found this after going through statements of many of the cases and speaking to the officers-in-charge of the police stations concerned.

Following the Hefajat mayhem, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Sunday issued a note of warning saying no violence would be tolerated. He also warned that those involved in breaking laws and carrying out subversive activities would be identified and brought to book.

But when he was asked yesterday why the perpetrators identified in most of the cases do not include Hefajat men, he said, "The cases were filed immediately after the incidents. That is why the case statements don't mention names of Hefajat members. Our investigation to identify those involved in the violence is still underway.

"We will identify and take action against them."

Hefajat had issued a six-point demand. One of them was that no police case would be filed against its supporters.

Shahriar Kabir, president of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, views the development as a government strategy to pacify the Qawmi-madrasa-based group.

"The fact that there are hardly any cases against Hefajat is an effort by the government to calm the group. It is unfortunate that those in favour of the spirit of the Liberation War are now speaking in favour of Hefajat," he said.

"It seems that a competition to pacify fundamentalist forces is currently underway in the country. It is nothing but a suicidal move," he added.

Among the 25 cases, only one -- filed with the capital's Paltan Police Station -- accuses 32 Hefajat men, including top leaders of the organisation's Dhaka unit.

Even though Brahmanbaria suffered Hefajat mayhem for two days, including on Friday, police cases filed in connection with the incidents do not name a single Hefajat man as accused.

Over the course of the hartal on Sunday, four police outposts were attacked, eight major public establishments, including the municipality building, were incinerated, a Kali temple was vandalised while a prayer service was going on, "Bhasha Chattar" was torched, and legendary musical-maestro Allauddin Khan's music academy was decimated. In addition to that, seven private residences of AL men were destroyed.

A total of seven cases were filed with police in the district, but none mentioned any named accused.

Md Abdur Rahim, officer-in-charge of Brahmanbaria Sadar Model Police Station, said three cases were lodged with the police station against 6,500 unnamed accused for vandalising and carrying arson attack on the office of the district's superintendent of police and the town police range.

He said two more cases were filed against 500 unnamed people for vandalising the district's Ansar and VDP office.

Fourteen people were picked up from the spot on Friday, he added.

Jabed Mahmud, OC of Ashuganj Police Station in the district, said two cases were filed for vandalising and carrying arson attack on a police range and a toll plaza. Around 1,200 unnamed people were accused in the cases filed with the police station.

Clashes involving Hefajat left nine people, including a 14-year-old boy, dead in Brahmanbaria. But neither the police nor the family members of the victims filed any case over the deaths.

In Chattogram's Hathazari, where four people were killed after Hefajat men attacked a police station, not a single case was recorded until last night, said police sources.

In Habiganj, around 20 people, including seven policemen, were injured in clashes between law enforcers and Hefajat supporters in Jhingri area of Ajmeriganj on Ajmeriganj-Baniachang Road. The Hefajat men also set two police motorbikes on fire there.

Contacted, Md Nurul Islam, OC of Ajmeriganj Police Station, said a case was filed by the police and over 400 unnamed people were accused in it.

"Twenty-three people were named as accused. All the accused are basically picketers," he said.

Narayanganj too had turned into a battlefield on Sunday for a better part of the day when the Dhaka-Chittagong highway was barricaded by hartal supporters. At that time, journalists were hunted down and attacked, the road was littered with burning rubber tires, and Hefajat men locked in clashes with Border Guard Bangladesh members, leaving two men bullet-ridden.

A total of seven cases were filed across Narayanganj and 3,900 unnamed people and 166 named people were accused.

Not a single man linked with Hefajat was among those named in the cases.

Six of the cases were filed with Siddhirganj Police Station and the other with Rupganj Police Station.

The accused include the district BNP secretary, joint-coordinator, several Mohanagar Jubo Dal and Chhatra dal leaders, BNP leaders, a BNP councillor, a Jamaat leader and a Shibir leader.

Asked why names of Hefajat men were not accused in the case, Zayedul Alam, superintendent of police in Narayanganj, said "We have named those who we saw on the spot that day. We have specific information about who instigated the mayhem… we've collected evidence from photos and different video footage. No one was made accused because of their political affiliation.

"We have arrested four BNP men and are working to arrest the others," he said

The SP claimed that those who hit the streets were not Hefajat men. "They had given us their word that they would not cause mayhem on the streets and they kept their word."

In Dhaka, a total of eight cases were filed over the hartal by Hefajat and only the one with Paltan Police Station named top Hefajat leaders in Dhaka as accused.

Shah Iftekhar Ahmed, deputy commissioner of police (Wari Division), said, "Four cases were filed under our division over carrying out vandalism, sabotage, violence, obstructing police from carrying out duty and causing law and order to deteriorate. Those were filed with Jatrabari, Gendaria and Demra police stations."

"In Demra, six people were arrested from the spot and were named in the cases as accused. They are Hefajat supporters. In the other three cases, there is no named accused. We are investigating to find out who else was involved," said DC Ahmed.

Jatrabari Police Station OC Mazharul Islam said, "Two cases were filed -- one on Friday and the other one on Sunday -- with this police station. The charges include torching of vehicles, assault on police personnel, vandalism and sabotage. One of the cases was filed by the police, while in the other by a victim of the mayhem. One of the cases named 3,000-4,000 unnamed people as accused, while the other case does not have any specific number of accused."

Sources at Demra Police Station said 1,500 unnamed people were accused in one case and the six people were arrested from the spot.

The sources said the six, along with four held from Jatrabari the same day, were produced before court with remand pleas. The court, however, did not grant the remand prayers and sent all the 10 accused to jail.

Gendaria Police Station's OC Shaju Miah said, "On March 28, we filed a case accusing 600-700 unnamed people. We don't know who they are."

Syed Nurul Islam, deputy commissioner of police (Motijheel Division), said, "Two cases were filed with the Paltan Police Station. One was against many unnamed accused. Yesterday a case was filed where there are 32 named accused."

The case against the 32 was filed on March 29 and it is the only one where top Hefajat leaders in Dhaka, including General Secretary Mufti Munir Hossain, Maulana Kefayatullah, Maolana Jalaluddin Ahmed and others, were named as accused,  according to the case documents.

Another case was filed with Hazaribagh Police Station following Hefajat's hartal. In that case, Nipun Roy Chowdhury, a member of BNP's central executive committee, was accused of instigating vandalism.

She was arrested on March 28. ᐧ