BNP-Jamaat’s Ongoing Arson Violence Culprits Nabbed Red Handed

According to reports run by national electronic and print media, in last 20 days of non-stop blockade, at least 18 rioters of Shibir, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, a party that opposed the country’s independence and a key ally of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, were caught by law enforcers and common people while fleeing after carrying out bomb or arson attacks on police or public transports. Some of them were also arrested from their dens with large haul of explosive materials.

As of February 1, 2015, Jamaat Shibir activists partnering with its ally BNP have killed 43 people, 1171 people were injured, and 893 vehicles were torched and / or vandalized. Sabotages carried out on railway tracks resulting in 6 trains veneered off tracks while attempts were made to torch 7 launches since the blockade begin on January 5.

Jamaat-Shibir men led the recent spree of violence

For the better part of last month, Shibir men hogged the headlines by beating up policemen, torching public vehicles and properties and killing people, exploding bombs, felling trees on roads and uprooting railway tracks in different parts of the country. Besides, on January 14, a Shibir activist was crushed to death by a truck when fleeing the scene of an arson attack in Chittagong. On January 28, another Shibir man, who suffered injuries while trying to explode a crude bomb at Kadamtoli in Chittagong, died.

In Rajshahi, two Shibir activists Saiful Islam and Nawshad Ali, were arrested from in front of Lokhnath High School in the city when a group of masked Shibir men were fleeing having thrown a crude bomb at police. Ekramul Huq Sumon was arrested from near the Didar Market area of Chandanpura in the port city. As police, upon secret information, chased a large group of Shibir activists who were planning subversive activities, the group hurled two crude bombs at police. Police later raided the Darul Ulum Aliya Madrasha as most of the attackers ran inside it and picked up 34 more people. They also seized explosive materials weighing around 2 kgs.

On January 28, locals handed over to police two Shibir activists after they were caught trying to attack a vehicle at Kashipur Bilbabari in Barisal city. On January 24, locals caught and beat up a Shibir leader and his two associates when they were attempting to hurl petrol bombs on a passenger bus on the Dhaka-Narayanganj road. They later handed them over to police. Shihabuddin Shihab, general secretary of Fatullah Shibir unit, later confessed his involvement in the incident. (Source: The Daily Star 1/02/15)

BNP allied Jamaat

On February 1, a team of police caught a petrol bomb thrower near the New Market while fleeing after setting a bus on fire. The bomber, was identified as Abdur Razzak, 28, who lives in a mess beside Azimpur Sapra Mosque. Razzak is a organising secretary of Ward 18 Jubo Dal, youth front of BNP. In another development, arrested activist of Jatiyobadi Chhatra Dal, student wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), 24 year old Anupam Chandra Roy has confessed that he was involved with two major incidents of arson since December 24th (which killed 3 including one on-duty policeman and injured three others). He was influenced by the Joint Convenor of Mohammadpur Thana Chatro Dal, Robiul Islam Noyon and Joint Secretary of Chhatra Dal Sohel and top Chhatra Dal leader Firoz.

These gang of criminals masquerading as student leaders used people like Anupam and other ambitious low-tier activists of BNp’s student wing to attack unsuspecting road users with petrol bombs and Molotov cocktails. People like Noyon, doing the dirty acts on the streets, are promised of good positions within the party depending on their performance of killing people. Leaders like Noyon and Firoz were in turn instructed by even higher party leaders. In a related development, a student leader of BNP, Mahbubur Rahman Bappi died at around 6 am on Thursday after suffering injuries in an explosion cuased while he was making bombs for use in BNP-Jamaat's blockade. He was the General Secretary of BNP's student front Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s New Market Unit. (the Daily Samakal and Ittfaq)