Move to file 40 sedition cases
BNP leader, 2 sons held
A female BNP leader of Hazaribagh and her two sons were arrested Sunday night on charge of organising a procession in favour of BDR mutineers near Pilkhana during the February 25-26 BDR mutiny.
Charges of abetting BDR jawans to flee from Pilkhana were also brought against the detainees Suriya Begum, the local BNP leader, and her sons Sumon and Jewel.
Meanwhile, the police headquarters yesterday sent papers to the police stations concerned to file 40 sedition cases in 27 districts in connection with the mutinies at different BDR units. Earlier on Sunday, the government approved of filing sedition cases against the BDR mutineers.
Sources in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said a CID team picked up the three from their 21/4 Birbal Kachhra house near the Bay Tannery at Hazaribagh around 8:00pm on Sunday after one of the security guards of the tannery told the National Committee, formed by the government to probe the incident, about their involvement.
Later, a Dhaka court placed Suriya on a two-day remand while her sons Sumon and Jewel on a three-day remand each after they were produced before the court yesterday afternoon with a prayer for five days remand for each.
The same court yesterday also placed 25 suspected BDR mutineers and a civilian on a five-day remand each in the mutiny case.
The court also ordered to send five other BDR jawans to jail after they were placed before the court on completion of their different terms of remand.
Meanwhile, five more BDR jawans yesterday made their statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code confessing to their involvement in the BDR carnage.
They are sepoys Siddik Alam, Mohsin Ali, Abdur Rashid, Shamim Al Mamun and Sumon Mian.
With yesterday's statements of five BDR men, a total of 50 BDR jawans have so far made confessional statements.
Besides, the CID interrogated 40 suspected mutineers inside the Pilkhana yesterday about their roles during the BDR carnage.
SEDITION CASES
After getting the approval from the government, police headquarters sent papers to the police stations concerned to file 40 sedition cases.
Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan told The Daily Star that the government approved it at a meeting on April 26.
Sources said around 1,000 BDR members from 40 sectors and battalions would be made accused in the cases.
BDR Director General (DG) Maj Gen Md Mainul Islam told The Daily Star, "The case would be filed by the government."
According to sources, the BDR authorities provided information and lists of the BDR units where the BDR men took part in the mutinies.
Following the information and lists, the police headquarters sent a letter to the home ministry seeking approval to file sedition cases. The home ministry has already given permission in this regard.
ARREST OF SURIYA
Sources in the CID said Suriya Begum organised a procession in Hazaribagh area in favour of BDR rebels on February 25 while her two sons provided fleeing BDR jawans with cloths.
An employee of a shop near Suriya's house wishing anonymity said Suriya used to organise BNP processions in the areas but he could not say whether she organised any procession during the BDR mutiny.
Suriya is the wife of late Abdus Salam, a retied BDR Sepoy. Locals could not say immediately which post Suriya holds in the Ward unit, but said she contested for the post of councillor as a BNP-backed candidate in the last Dhaka City Corporation election.
With the latest arrest, 19 civilians have so far been arrested in connection with the BDR mutiny case. The arrested persons include ward Awami League leader Torab Ali.
Charges of abetting BDR jawans to flee from Pilkhana were also brought against the detainees Suriya Begum, the local BNP leader, and her sons Sumon and Jewel.
Meanwhile, the police headquarters yesterday sent papers to the police stations concerned to file 40 sedition cases in 27 districts in connection with the mutinies at different BDR units. Earlier on Sunday, the government approved of filing sedition cases against the BDR mutineers.
Sources in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said a CID team picked up the three from their 21/4 Birbal Kachhra house near the Bay Tannery at Hazaribagh around 8:00pm on Sunday after one of the security guards of the tannery told the National Committee, formed by the government to probe the incident, about their involvement.
Later, a Dhaka court placed Suriya on a two-day remand while her sons Sumon and Jewel on a three-day remand each after they were produced before the court yesterday afternoon with a prayer for five days remand for each.
The same court yesterday also placed 25 suspected BDR mutineers and a civilian on a five-day remand each in the mutiny case.
The court also ordered to send five other BDR jawans to jail after they were placed before the court on completion of their different terms of remand.
Meanwhile, five more BDR jawans yesterday made their statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code confessing to their involvement in the BDR carnage.
They are sepoys Siddik Alam, Mohsin Ali, Abdur Rashid, Shamim Al Mamun and Sumon Mian.
With yesterday's statements of five BDR men, a total of 50 BDR jawans have so far made confessional statements.
Besides, the CID interrogated 40 suspected mutineers inside the Pilkhana yesterday about their roles during the BDR carnage.
SEDITION CASES
After getting the approval from the government, police headquarters sent papers to the police stations concerned to file 40 sedition cases.
Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan told The Daily Star that the government approved it at a meeting on April 26.
Sources said around 1,000 BDR members from 40 sectors and battalions would be made accused in the cases.
BDR Director General (DG) Maj Gen Md Mainul Islam told The Daily Star, "The case would be filed by the government."
According to sources, the BDR authorities provided information and lists of the BDR units where the BDR men took part in the mutinies.
Following the information and lists, the police headquarters sent a letter to the home ministry seeking approval to file sedition cases. The home ministry has already given permission in this regard.
ARREST OF SURIYA
Sources in the CID said Suriya Begum organised a procession in Hazaribagh area in favour of BDR rebels on February 25 while her two sons provided fleeing BDR jawans with cloths.
An employee of a shop near Suriya's house wishing anonymity said Suriya used to organise BNP processions in the areas but he could not say whether she organised any procession during the BDR mutiny.
Suriya is the wife of late Abdus Salam, a retied BDR Sepoy. Locals could not say immediately which post Suriya holds in the Ward unit, but said she contested for the post of councillor as a BNP-backed candidate in the last Dhaka City Corporation election.
With the latest arrest, 19 civilians have so far been arrested in connection with the BDR mutiny case. The arrested persons include ward Awami League leader Torab Ali.
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