Shah Ahmad Shafi

Thirty-six people, including Mamunul Haque, a top Hefajat leader, were sued yesterday over "killing" the former chief of the Islamist outfit Shah Ahmad Shafi.

The case comes at a time when Hefajat-e Islam, under its new leadership with Junayed Babunagari as the ameer, has taken to streets opposing the construction of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's sculptures.

Safi's brother-in-law Md Moin Uddin filed the case with the court of Judicial Magistrate Shiplu Kumar Dey of Chattogram around noon yesterday, claiming that Safi was murdered in a pre-planned manner.

The court took the case into cognisance and ordered Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to investigate it. It also asked the PBI to submit a report on the probe progress within a month, said Moin's lawyer Abu Hanif.

"The court heard our statement and then we presented our arguments before it. After that, the magistrate passed the order, taking the case into cognisance," he told reporters at the Chattogram Court Building.

Apart from Mamunul, top Hefajat leaders Nasir Uddin Munir, Azizul Haque Islamabadi, Mir Idris, Habib Ullah, Ahsan Ullah, and Noman Foyzi are among the 36 accused.

Hefajat insiders said the accused are known to be close associates of Babunagari, who was elected ameer through a council on November 15 following Shafi's demise.

In the case statement, Moin Uddin alleged that Shafi was killed in a pre-planned manner through collaboration between the accused at the direct and indirect instigation by Mamunul, joint secretary general of Hefajat, and Nasir Uddin.

"Shafi was mentally tortured and his oxygen support was removed. Apart from that, the ambulance carrying him while he was in a critical condition was stopped on its way to the hospital. All these killed my brother-in-law," Moin Uddin told The Daily Star.

Those people tried to create unrest at Al Jameyatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam Madrasa, popularly known as Hathazari madrasa, also took away Tk 60 lakh, he said in the case.

After the death of the Hefajat chief on September 18, his followers, including his son and Moin Uddin, on November 15 at a press briefing alleged that Shafi was murdered by a section of Hefajat men, who are followers of Babunagari .

They also alleged that Babunagari's men snapped Shafi's oxygen support which sent him into coma. Also, Shafi faced obstruction at different places on his way to hospital.

Shafi died a couple of days after unrest gripped the Hathazari madrasa. The unrest stemmed from madrasa students demanding permanent removal of Shafi's son Anas Madani from the madrasa administration.

Several Jamaat leaders were seen taking part in Shafi's namaj-e-janaza.

Amid apprehensions that Jamaat was trying to take the helm of the madrasa, Babunagari was made the new Hefajat chief.

Shafi's supporters could not even make it to the 151-member new committee of Hefajat.

They demanded the committee be dissolved.

BABUNAGARI BLAMED

On Wednesday, a section of Hefajat leaders, who are followers of Shafi, blamed Babunagari for what happened at the capital's Shapla Chattar on May 5, 2013.

They claimed that then Hefajat secretary general Babunagari, without taking permission from Shafi, made Hefajat activists stay overnight at the Shapla Chattar.  

The leaders were speaking at a discussion on the life and works of Shafi at the press club in Chattogram.

On May 5, 2013, thousands of members of Hefajat, a Qawmi madrasa-based Islamist organisation, clashed with law enforcers and ruling Awami League men, turning Motijheel and Paltan areas into a battlefield.