‘March 28's violence in Narayanganj carried out as per directives of Hefajat leader Mamunul’
Siddhirganj’s Baitul Najat Jame Mosque Imam Abu Bakkar confesses before court
Government employees were attacked and vehicles were set on fire to make the March 28 strike successful as per directives of Hefajat-e-Islam's Joint Secretary General Mamunul Hoque.
Abu Bakkar Siddique (28), imam of Baitul Najat Jame Mosque of Siddhirganj area of Narayanganj, disclosed this information while giving confessional statement in a court today.
A day before the strike on March 28, Mamunul called on his cell phone and instructed him to take all steps to make it (strike) successful.
Ahmed Humayun Kabir, senior judicial magistrate of Narayanganj court, recorded the confessional statement under section 164.
Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) arrested Siddique from Mizmiji area of Narayanganj today in a case filed with Siddhirganj Police Station regarding the violence on March 28.
The case was filed against 28 named and 400 to 500 unnamed supporters of BNP, Jamaat, Shibir and Hefajat. PBI is now investigating the case after police headquarters handed over the investigation charge recently.
Following the arrest of Siddique, PBI produced him before the court.
Banaj Kumar Majumder, Deputy Inspector General, also the chief of PBI, confirmed the news of Siddique's confessional statement in court.
He told The Daily Star today that Siddique admitted his involvement with the violence and mentioned that Mamunul directed him towards it. Siddique further mentioned that Maulana Mahmudul Hasan Patwari, president of Hefajat's Siddhirganj police station unit, was also at his side on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway to make the strike a success, said the PBI chief.
"We are now conducting drives to arrest other accused involved in the case," he said.
Asked about interrogating Mamunul, DIG Banaj Kumar said "we will definitely interrogate Mamunul as his name came up in confessional statement."
PBI has recently got charge of 23 cases filed following the recent violence by Hefajat in six districts. Last week, two other accused, arrested by PBI in Brahmanbaria also gave confessional statement in a court.