Court asks PBI to submit probe reports by March 3

A Dhaka court yesterday again asked the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to submit by March 3 the probe reports of two sedition cases filed against Hefajat chief Junayed Babunagari and two others.

They are Hefajat-e-Islam joint secretary general Mamunul Haque and Islami Andolan Bangladesh senior nayeb-e-amir Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder passed the orders after PBI failed to submit any report, court sources said.

On December 7 last year, Aminul Islam Bulbul, president of Muktijuddho Moncho's central committee, filed a case against the three with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate for their "disparaging" comments on sculptures.

Advocate Moshiur Malek, founder of Bangabandhu Foundation, also filed a case against Mamunul Haque with the same court over the same allegation that day.

The magistrate took cognisance of charges against the accused and directed deputy inspector general of police of PBI to probe the matter and submit reports to it by yesterday.

The cases mentioned that the statements made by Babunagari, Mamunul and Faizul were tantamount to sedition.

According to the case documents, the accused Mamunul made anti-state remarks on November 13 last year at the BMA Auditorium in the capital's Topkhana Road area, while Faizul made similar comments at an event in Gandaria the same day.

Babunagari also made anti-state remarks at an event in Hathazari, Chattogram on November 27 the same year.

The complainants said all the statements made by the three are tantamount to sedition and go against the state.

They also appealed to the court to issue arrest warrants against the accused for "tarnishing the image of the government and creating anarchy".