22 May 2023, Mon, 11:24

Central Working Committee meeting held; demands release of all detained leaders and activists

-Professor Mujibur Rahman

A meeting of the Central Working Committee of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was held on 22nd May with the party’s Acting Ameer and former MP Professor Mujibur Rahman in the chair. The meeting adopted the following proposals condemning the repeated re-arrest of Jamaat leaders despite securing bail from the High Court and simultaneously demanding the release of all detained leaders and activists:

“Central Working Committee of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is observing with deep concern that Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman was arrested from his house on 12th December. While, Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer and former MP Maulana ANM Shamsul Islam, Secretary General and former MP Professor Mia Golam Porwar, Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, central Majlish-e-Shura member, and former MP Shahjahan Chowdhury are being kept behind the bar for more than two years. All of them have subsequently secured bail from the High Court. However, those court orders are being ignored and they are being arrested from the jail gate repeatedly. After securing bail, Maulana Shamsul Islam was arrested twice, Mia Golam Porwar for 4 times and Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan was re-arrested two times in connection with other false cases.

There is a directive from the High Court that if anyone is granted bail by the high court and if he remains imprisoned, then he cannot be shown arrested in another case. But the government is repeatedly violating this directive in the case of Jamaat leaders. These wrongdoings are not stopped even if it is brought to the consideration of the higher court.

The government is ravaging the country’s constitution, rule of law, and judicial system. This is nothing but an exaggerated attempt by the government. By ignoring the judicial directives, the government is taking the nation towards a culture of impunity. It will not bring positive results for anyone.

We are shocked to see that Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan had been arrested by the Vatara police station on 7th September. Since then, he was repeatedly taken into police remand. He is suffering from many diseases. He is a heart patient and bearing 3 stains. Despite the objection of the prosecution, the appellate division upheld the bail orders in all cases filed against him. Subsequently, he was about to get released from Kashimpur jail on 9th March 2023. But again Gazipur district police arrested him from the jail gate.

When the issue was brought to the consideration of the court, the session ended without any order. Later he was shown arrested in two old cases. He again secured bail in these two cases. But when the bail order reached the jail gate, he was not released. He was produced before the court on 21st May and on this day another appeal was submitted by the prosecution to show him arrested in a case of January 2023. The lawyers asked the court, as he remained behind the bar since 2021, how he is being shown arrested in a case of 2023. Is it not a violation of the Constitution and the judicial norms?

The central working committee is also observing that political leaders are being produced before the court by putting helmets and in a shackled condition locally known as Danda Beri. This culture is unprecedented and had never been happened ever in the history of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s central working committee urges the government to stop torture and harassment and to release Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, party’s Nayeb-e-Ameer and former MP Maulana ANM Shamsul Islam, Secretary General, and former MP Professor Mia Golam Porwar, Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, central executive committee member and Dhaka North city Ameer Mohammad Selim Uddin, central Majlish-e-Shura member and former MP Shahjahan Chowdhury, central Majlish-e-Shura member and Sirajganj district Ameer Maulana Shahinur Alam and Madaripur district Ameer Maulana Abdus Subhan Khan immediately.