Charges pressed against 132 Jamaat-Shibir men

Police yesterday pressed charges against 132 leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir in a case for arson attack on a bus that left six people killed at Jaygirhaat under Mithapukur upazila in the early hours of January 13 this year.

Sub-Inspector Md Nazrul Islam of Mithapukur Police Station submitted the charge sheet against the Jamaat-Shibir men to the Court of Judicial Magistrate Md Hafizul Islam.

Md Enamul Haque, Mithapukur upazila ameer of Jamaat, Md Abul Baset Marzan, a local Jamaat leader and vice chairman of Mithapukur Upazila Parishad, and Md Hafizur Rahman, a former Shibir activist, are among the accused.

Of the accused, 49, including Md Hafizur Rahman, are now in jail while the rest, including Md Enamul Haque and Md Abul Baset, are still at large.

Sub-Inspector Nazrul Islam, also the investigation officer of the case, said Hafizur Rahman gave confessional statement before the court under Section 164. The court issued arrest warrants against the absconding accused.

Jamaat-Shibir men waylaid a Dhaka-bound passenger bus from Ulipur upazila in Kurigram district at Jaygirhaat under Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur around 2:00am on January 13. They hurled a petrol bomb at the vehicle, killing four passengers on the spot and injuring 20 others.

Later, two passengers succumbed to their injuries at hospital.

Sub-Inspector Md Abdur Razzak Mithapukur Police Station lodged a case on January 14. After investigation, police submitted the charge sheet against 132 Jamaat-Shibir men to the court.