Banned books, leaflets seized: 7 teachers held

Police yesterday arrested seven teachers including the principal of a school in the city's Kotwali and seized huge number of banned books, leaflets, and other "anti-government" publications from the school compound.
Police claimed the arrestees are the activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, who have been working to collect militant activists through motivating people. The schoolteachers were also involved in anti-government campaign, police said.
Mohammad Alamgir Hossain, 52, principal of Dhaka Model Pre-cadet and High School, is the treasurer of Kotwali Thana unit Jamaat-e-Islami and Nure Alam Siddique, 63, works as his deputy, said police.
The other five arrestees are Mohammad Ismail Khan, 29, Mohammad Sirazul Islam, 22, Tazul Islam, 36, Mohammad Obaidullah, 23, and Mohammad Rustam Ali, 25.
Mohammad Razib-al-Masud, assistant commissioner of Kotwali Zone, said Alamgir Hossain and Nure Alam started the school in 1990 to run the party's activities in the guise of teaching kids. "They recruited party activists as teachers and apparently used the school as a den", he added.
The police officer also claimed to have found a flag like that of Pakistan's inside the school office. "The school authority used to clean furniture with our national flag rather than hoisting it", he said.
Police also recovered anti-government booklets and CDs and posters demanding release of the war criminals from the school office.
Filing of a case with Kotwali Police Station was underway in this connection.