Jama'atul thrived as law enforcers turned blind eye

Militants of Jama'atul Mujahidin Bangladesh, accused of spearheading an armed Islamist revolution, have sprouted over the last two and a half years taking advantage of a laid-back approach of law enforcers, said investigators in Joypurhat.

The blame on the law enforcers came after the outlawed Islamist outfit engaged in the August 14 firefight with police in the border district of Joypurhat, which led to arrest of two dozen militants in its wake.

The group has been spreading its network deep into five upazilas of the district since 2000 and local investigators think the operatives would have failed to build their stronghold had the law enforcers dealt with the previous incidents seriously.

In November 2000, Jama'atul Jihad, believed to be a splinter of Jama'atul Mujahidin, sent six letters and pieces of white cloth to the then upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), officer-in-charge (OC), an Awami League leader and two journalists of Kalai upazila threatening them with death.

The death threat came as a reaction to a report by the Bogra Daily that focused on alleged overnight combat training at Chandai and Shikta madrassahs for the operatives and quoted the UNO, OC and the AL leader.

A general diary was filed on December 5 but the incident was not thoroughly investigated after a discussion on it at a district law and order meeting, said sources

OC of Kalai Police Station Abdul Jalil Sheikh said the investigators of the militant training then failed to come up with any substantial leads.

After the coalition government came to power in late 2001, unknown gunmen shot Nurul Islam Dudu, an NGO worker, at work and set fire to his office. Police arrested four persons and seized anti-NGO leaflets and booklets on jihad from them.

The Criminal Investigation Department pressed charge against Raju Mia, Masudur Rahman and Sujaul Islam of a seven-strong gang for their part in the January 20 sensational murder at Begungram shrine in Joypurhat. But the court freed them on bail.

An investigator alleged a set of local influential politicians lobbied for their release. But Joypurhat Superintendent of Police Abdul Jalil Mondol denied the allegation and said the investigation is still going on and police have nothing to do if the court frees the accused.

Joypurhat Deputy Commi-ssioner Abdul Monaf Patwari said police might not have put appropriate words in their prayers, which led to the bail of the accused.

On April 4 this year, unidentified youths distributed leaflets among people at a mosque in Joypurhat town after Juma prayers. On the night of April 15, police arrested the seven youths in the act of scrawling jihad calls on a government building and seized pro-militant leaflets of the Jama'atul Mujahidin.

The seven arrested on charge of suspicious movements were taken into remand two times and grilled in the joint interrogation cell but freed on bail on May 29 after they served out a month in detention.

The Kalai OC says police could do nothing other than arrest them under the Section 54 as only leaflets were found with them. "I am not sure whether the Jama'atul Mujahidin is banned," the OC said.

Golam Mokarram Chowdhury, a lawyer, said the seven could have been charged with sedition as they were writing jihad messages on the wall and their leaflets inspire Muslims to store firearms.

The accused told police in interrogation that a ringleader, Khalilur Rahman, was in the forefront of their organisational activities, based in Kalai Ahle Hadith Mosque. After the arrest of Anwar Sadat in the August 14 firefight, it was found that he is Khalilur Rahman of Joypurhat.

The seven youths after their release from detention pushed ahead with their activities with calls for jihad, said sources.

A recently circulated leaflet, obtained by the correspondent of The Daily Star, urges countrymen including the president, prime minister and members of the police, BDR and army to work towards establishing Allah's rule.

The leaflet terms combat training faraz (a must) for Muslims and said the aim of Jama'atul Mujahidin is to establish Islamic rule to protect the religion and sovereignty of Bangladesh from aggression.

Masudur Rahman, one of the seven youths, was arrested again on the night of August 14 before the Joypurhat firefight began in Moheshpur village, which was guarded by the operatives.