Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is set to enforce a 48-hour countrywide hartal on today, protesting the government’s conspiracy to annihilate the party. The shutdown which will begin at 6am on Tuesday is also meant for protesting the government’s plot to kill Jamaat leaders and foil the next general election.
Hours after the High Court declared illegal its registration by the Election Commission as a political party, Jamaat on August 1 called a 48-hour countrywide hartal for August 12 and 13. Later, it deferred the general strike by one day to August 13 and 14.
A HC bench, headed by Justice M Moazzam Husain, delivered the judgment on a writ petition in the form of public interest litigation challenging the validity of the Election Commission decision that had given registration to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) as a political party in 2008.
Rejecting the verdict, Jamaat acting secretary general Rafiqul Islam said it was a wrong judgment pronounced by the HC bench. “The government’s political motive has been manifested through the verdict.” Claiming Jamaat as the main Islamist party of the country, he said Jamaat has the right to work as a political party as per Article 38 of the constitution.
Police arrested 29 activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir in four districts on Monday. The law enforcers arrested them on suspicion of carrying out subversive activities during the 48-hour hartal to be enforced by Jamaat on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In Comilla, police arrested 24 activists of Jamaat e-Islami from different parts of the district early Monday. Police said they arrested 17 Jamaat men from Chouddagram upazila, four from Daudkani upazila and three from Nangalkot upazila.
In Sirajganj, police arrested three Jamaat-Shibir men on charge of hurling crude bombs at police from a procession at Baro Bazar in the district town. Tamzad Hossain, a police constable, was injured in the crude bomb explosion. In Sylhet, police arrested Dr Abdul Jalil, nayeb-e-ameer of Balaganj Upazila unit Jamaat, from his own business establishment at Boaljur Bazar in the upazila.
In Sunamganj, police arrested Quamrul Hasan Sabuj, president of Chhatak Degree College unit Shibir, in connection with a case filed for vandalising vehicles during recent hartals. – UNB
