'Hefajat entangled with Jamaat's conspiracy'

Sammilito Sangskritik Jote President Nasiruddin Yusuf Bachchu addresses a press briefing at Teacher-Student Centre of Dhaka University on Thursday to reveal their stance on launching the hartal. Photo: Amran Hossain

Hefajat-e-Islam is entangled with the conspiracy of Jamaat-e-Islami, Sammilito Sangskritik Jote President Nasiruddin Yusuf Bachchu claimed on Thursday.

"Though we do not have faith in the culture of hartal, we called the shutdown from Friday 6:00pm to Saturday 6:00pm to resist the Dhaka long march of Hefajat-e-Islam, which entangled with the conspiracy of Jamaat," he said.

Bachchu was reading a joint statement of the organisations at a press briefing at Teachers-Students Centre of Dhaka University on Thursday.

Twenty-four pro-liberation organisations Wednesday night decided to call the nationwide 24-hour hartal.

Sector Commanders' Forum and over 100 organisations later expressed solidarity with their agitation programme.

Hefajat-e-Islam had earlier announced the long march programme to press home its 13-point demand including arrest and trial of bloggers for “defaming” Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

"We will observe the hartal peacefully," said Shariar Kabir, acting president of Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, one of the 24 pro-liberation organisations.

"If any anarchy takes place anywhere (during the hartal), we will have to presume that Jamaat-Shibir men carried it," he said.

Shariar also declared to bring out a torch (moshal) rally in the capital Thursday (today) evening.

He urged the transport owners and workers not to rent their vehicles to the long march organisers.

Both Bachchu and Shariar condemned the recent arrests of bloggers on charge of posting 'derogatory' comments about Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

They also slammed the law enforcing agencies for producing the arrestees before the media during press briefings.

The country, which has blasphemy act, never produces arrestees before the media as our law enforcers did, Shariar said.

The pro-liberation organisations also demanded forming of anti-militancy and anti-communalism committee at district, upazila and union levels to resist the Jamaat-Shibir and the anti-liberation forces who are working against the country's democracy.