Court Correspondent :
Three more leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam were yesterday remanded on different terms in two cases filed with Paltan Police Station over last month’s violence in the capital.
Mufti Habibullah Mahmud Quasemi, an Executive Member of now defunct Hefazat’s Central Committee, and Mufti Faisal Mahmud Habibi, former Joint Secretary General of Hefazat’s Dhaka city unit, were placed on three-day remand each in the case.
Magistrate Mohammad Jashim of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka passed the order after Md Kamrul Hasan Talukder, an Inspector of Detective Branch (DB) of Police and
Investigation Officer (IO) of the case, produced the two accused in the court with a 10-day remand plea for each in the case.
In the remand prayer, the IO said, the two leaders were involved with the recent violence in Dhaka city, but they refused to disclose the names and addresses of other leaders responsible for the offences. So, they need to be remanded to gather information about others, the IO added.
On the other hand, defence lawyer submitted a petition seeking bail and cancellation of the remand plea, saying that their clients were not present at the place of occurrence during the alleged mayhem.
Hearing both the sides, the court dismissed the defence pleas and placed the accused on remand in the case.
Khondakar Arifuzzaman, Deputy Office Secretary of Dhaka South Jubo League, filed the case against Hefazat leader Mamunul Haque and 16 others with Paltan Police Station on April 6 on the charges of torching vehicles, vandalising shops and looting valuables at the Baitul Mukarram area on last March 26.
Quasemi was arrested from Vatara area in the capital on Wednesday while Habibi was arrested from Demra area on the same day.
Quasemi was one of the key organisers of “Rabetatul Waizin Bangladesh”, a platform of Hefazat speakers which controls Waz Mahfils across the country, a DB officer said.
Meanwhile, the same court placed Khaled Saifullah Ayubi, former Joint Secretary General of Hefazat, on a five-day remand after Md Jahidul Islam, a Sub-Inspector (SI) of Paltan Police Station and Investigation Officer of another case filed over the violence on the premises of Baitul Mukarram Mosque on March 26, produced in the court with a seven-day remand prayer.
Saifullah Ayubi was produced in the court on completion of his five-day remand in another case filed over the violence on March 26, created to protest the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ayubi was also shown arrested in two other cases filed with Paltan Police Station over the 2013 mayhem in Dhaka.
He was arrested from Manikganj on April 22.
