2 Hefajat leaders sued for sedition
Hefajat chief Junayed Babunagari and two other islamist leaders were accused in two cases of sedition yesterday.
Hefajat-e-Islam Joint Secretary General Maulana Mamunul Haque and Islami Andolan Bangladesh Senior Nayeb-e-Amir Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim are the other accused.
One of the cases was filed by Muktijuddho Moncho President Aminul Islam Bulbul with the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Satyabrata Sikder.
Bangabandhu Foundation founder Moshiur Malek filed the other case against Mamunul with the same court.
The magistrate took the cases into cognisance and recorded statements of the complainants.
The court directed the Deputy Inspector General of Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate the cases and submit two separate reports to it by January 7.
Meanwhile, Awami League General Secretary and Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader yesterday said those who have shown the audacity to attack the sculpture of the Father of the Nation must face grave consequences.
Bangabandhu's sculpture will be constructed, he added.
The cases mentioned that the statements made by Babunagari, Mamunul and Faizul tantamount to sedition.
The complainants appealed to the court to issue arrest warrants against the accused for "tarnishing the image of the government and creating anarchy".
Accused Mamunul made anti-state remarks on November 13 at the BMA Auditorium in the capital's Topkhana Road area, while Faizul made similar comments at an event in Dhaka's Gandaria the same day, the complaints said.
Hefajat Amir Babunagari also made anti-state remarks at an event in Hathazari, Chattogram on November 27.
On a live programme on his verified Facebook page, Mamunul last night termed Muktijuddho Moncho an extremist organisation and said he never made a disrespectful comment against Bangabandhu.
He added that Muktijuddho Moncho was creating unrest in the country.
A lower court lawyer said the court might summon or issue arrest warrant against the accused if the PBI probe found the allegations to be true.
No one has been convicted for sedition in recent past, sources said.
Talking to reporters at his secretariat office, Obaidul Quader said the attackers of Bangabandhu's sculpture in Kushtia must be guilty of sedition as Bangabandhu is the father of the nation.
About Hefajat leaders, Quader said, "It is not right to take action against anyone without concrete evidence. If we find any evidence… we will take action. We are in the government, in power. We have to move forward with a cool head… We don't want to create unrest in the country by taking action against anyone.
"Religion is a very sensitive [issue] in Bangladesh. We do not want a hasty decision to create a volatile situation in the country. The government wants to resolve the crisis politically."
He added, "The prime minister is looking into the matter herself."
Quader said there was no political understanding between the government and Hefajat.
FOUR SENT TO JAIL, REMAND HEARING TODAY
The four suspects arrested on charges of damaging the sculpture of Bangabandhu in Kushtia were sent to jail yesterday.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Rezaul Islam passed the order in the afternoon.
The court will hear today the police's appeal to place them on remand.
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