Police delay filing of sedition case against Al Hiqma chief

Despite a home ministry order, police here have been delaying filing a fresh sedition case against Shahadat-e-Al Hiqma Chief Sayed Kawsar Hussain Siddiki Raja, paving the way for him to receive bail from court.

A metropolitan magistrate yesterday granted police 15 days for the seventh time since Kawsar's arrest in November last year, following a police plea to file the sedition case.

Lawyers lamented the decision, saying it will facilitate bail as arrestees like Kawsar, who was arrested under Section 54 of the CrpC, cannot be kept behind bars more than three months without any charges.

Detective police explained in their petition that they needed to have the investigation of the matter by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), as recommended by the joint interrogation cell (JIC).

But interestingly, Rajshahi police sent a letter to the police headquarters in Dhaka seeking the CID investigation on March 23 of last year, nearly three months after the JIC recommendation.

The JIC interrogated Kawsar thrice, reporting in early January that Kawsar himself lacks the merit, strength and financial ability to alone commit the anti-state activities he has been involved in so far.

"The incident should be minutely probed by a higher investigative authority to find out Kawsar's patrons and sponsors, as Kawsar has named some of them," said a highly placed police source, quoting the JIC recommendation.

Meanwhile, in a letter on January 18 police sought the necessary permission from the home ministry to file a sedition case against Kawsar and sent copies of a draft sedition case. On March 8, senior assistant secretary of the home ministry Sayed Nawara Zahan issued an order to file the case.

Before the home's nod reached Rajshahi on March 14, police twice took 15-day periods after pleading that they were waiting for the home order. They had been granted the 15-day time six times in the past for interrogation by JIC.