Police send July fighter DU student to jail alleging Hizb ut-Tahrir links
Police of Uttara West Thana have arrested a student of Dhaka University (DU) and filed a case alleging his involvement with banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir. The student was detained while coming out after Juma prayers. He was arrested around 1:45 pm on Friday (January 9) and is now in Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.
The arrested DU student has been identified as Sad Ibn Mahbub. On Saturday, a case was filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act and when he was produced before the CMM Court in Dhaka, the court ordered him to be sent to jail custody. The family alleges that police showed a photograph of a youth in punjabi taken during the operation to justify the arrest of Sad, but he was wearing shirt and trousers at the time. He is also seen in shirt and trousers in the photograph taken at the thana.
It is learnt that after Juma prayers on Friday, members of banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir were distributing leaflets in front of the mosque. When police conducted a drive there, Sad was detained. The family alleges that Sad tutors students at a house beside the mosque. He had gone to the mosque to offer prayers for that reason. While coming out, he fell into the police drive and was detained along with two others.
According to the case statement filed at Uttara West Thana on Friday, three persons have been arrested in the case filed under sections 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13 of the Anti-Terrorism Act-2009. Besides, 15-16 unidentified persons have been mentioned in the case. The other two arrestees are Shakil Ahammad (30), son of Mosleh Uddin of Baytul Mamun Mosque area under Dakshinkhan Thana in Dhaka, and Kaosar Hossain (19), son of Nurul Amin of Namapara area in Khilkhet. The plaintiff in the case is Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Moniruzzaman of Uttara West Thana.
Court sources said Sad and the two other accused were produced before the court on Saturday afternoon. Investigating officer of the case Sub-Inspector (SI) Md Kamrul Islam of Uttara West Thana prayed for keeping them in jail custody. On the other hand, lawyers for the accused prayed for bail. After hearing both sides, Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Dilruba Afroz Tithi rejected the bail prayer and ordered them to be sent to jail.
The case statement says that on the basis of information that members of banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir were putting up a banner in front of Uttara 7 No Sector Jame Masjid and campaigning through microphone to create panic among the public and propagate extremist ideology to endanger the country's integrity, solidarity, public security or sovereignty, the plaintiff reached the spot with accompanying officers and force and arrested the accused at 1:45 pm. At that time, unidentified accused managed to flee. During interrogation at one stage, the arrestees said they are active members of banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir and they were putting up banner to endanger the country's integrity, solidarity, public security or sovereignty, create panic among the public, propagate religious extremist ideology, seriously deteriorate law and order situation and carry out sabotage by motivating soft-hearted people. With the help of officers and force, the accused were taken into custody.
The case statement further says that during interrogation of the accused it is learnt that on the directive of top leaders of Hizb ut-Tahrir, they were putting up banner and campaigning to motivate soft-hearted people along with other members. The arrested accused along with fugitive unidentified accused in mutual conspiracy helped members of government-banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir in membership and support of the organisation, conspiracy to commit crime, effort, incitement to terrorist activities and assistance, committing offence under sections 8, 9, 10, 12 and 13 of the Anti-Terrorism Act-2009.
The seizure list includes one PVC banner bearing the writing “US Aggression on Venezuela: The Imminent KHILAFAH will Resist the Global Aggression of the USA, Hizb ut Tahrir, Wilayah Bangladesh”. Besides, one paper placard bearing the writing “From Gaza to Venezuela, Khilafah is the Solution” and one Samsung M51 recovered from arrested Shakil Ahammad, one paper placard bearing the writing “US Aggression, Khilafah is the Solution” and one iPhone 11 recovered from Sad Ibn Mahbub and one paper placard bearing the writing “NO TRUMP NO AMERICA ONLY KHALIFAH IS THE RIGHTOUS LEDERSHIP FOR HUMANITY” and one Redmi 12 mobile phone recovered from Kaosar Hossain have been mentioned as seized.
Father of Sad Ibn Mahbub, Mahbubul Haque, alleged to The Daily Campus that he (Sad) had gone there to offer prayers. He tutors students beside the mosque. Members of Hizb ut-Tahrir were distributing leaflets there. Perhaps he stood to see what was happening after coming out of prayers. At that time police in civil dress caught and took him away.
He said he went to the thana on Friday evening and met the OC after a long time. When we told the OC the matter, he showed a photograph. The boy shown in the photograph is wearing pyjama-punjabi. We said the boy in the photograph is wearing pyjama-punjabi but the one you have brought is wearing shirt. He is still in lock-up, he has no chance to change clothes. How can this boy be that boy? He says if he is not that boy, then later... I have arrested on higher order, I cannot release now. Case has to be filed on higher order. You take bail from court. I said taking bail is not so easy. Is it right to ruin the life of a student? He says I cannot.
Claiming that his son is not involved with any organisation, he said leave aside banned organisation, he has no link with any other organisation. He was involved in the July movement. The day Mir Mugdho died, they were towards BNS Centre in Uttara. Not only he, my three sons took part in the movement.
When contacted, plaintiff in the case SI Moniruzzaman told The Daily Campus that when the gathering of Hizb ut-Tahrir was taking place there, they scattered and tried to flee after we reached. At that time we arrested three persons. Asked whether there is any evidence against Sad, he said various placards with writings were in his hand.
Asked about the allegation of Sad Ibn Mahbub’s father, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Uttara West Thana Kazi Rafiqul Islam told The Daily Campus that they will naturally take the side of the accused. We caught him red-handed, we will take next step after investigation. They were trying in various ways to take him away. Hizb ut-Tahrir has been banned for the last 20 years. They were trying to take away by tagging various labels. But we caught red-handed, there is no scope for that. Leaflets were in his hand.
He said they may have doubt. We will work keeping that in mind too. If there is no involvement, we will investigate accordingly, no problem. We will bring the matters under investigation. On the allegation of showing punjabi attire, he said these are misleading information.
