46 JAMAAT-SHIBIR arrested in Jessore bomb case
Mohaiemen, Naeem
Communist Party of Bangladesh's
cultural rally (UDICHI).
"Abaro juddhe jethe hobe (Again we have to go to war)". The defeated forces of
1971 are mobilizing again.
-Naeem
DAILY STAR March 10, 1999
Alleged extremist held with arms 46 Jamaat-Shibir men arrested in JessoreFrom
Shehab Ahmed
JESSORE, Mar 9: Police arrested 46 people, said to be supporter of
Jamaat-e-Islami and its student front Islami ChhatraShibir, in a pre-dawn swoop today
in connection with the bomb explosions that massacred eight people at a
culturalfunction of Udichi Shilpi Goshthi at the Town Hall Maidan here on Sunday.
"Yes, they have been picked up on suspicion of their involvement in the twin
bombing at Udichi concert", a seniorpolice official said after the haul that netted
local senior Jamaat-Shibir leaders and activists from three of their
mess-typedormitories in Sheikh Hadi and Meherullah areas in the town.Twenty-one of
them have been handed over to CID investigators, probing the incident. The rest
were detained underSection 54 and sent to jail. The swoop however failed to recover
any weapon or bomb.Of the 21, one Mofizul Islam Badsha, a Sadar thana leader of
Jamaat was taken on five day's remand for CIDinterrogation sources said.Police so
far detained 53 people in connection with the incident.CID is questioning them and
screening their background to find if there is any Afghan Jihad veteran among
them. One police source said they are pinning on a clerk of a college who had
reportedly said, "I heard about the bombers."But CID officials were not available for
comment. Nor the said clerk's statement could be confirmed.A high police officer
said they are investigating all aspects in the case, including a possible tie-up
between Jamaat and other religion-based factions. They are also probing possible
involvement of outlawed parties, active in thesouth-western region."We are also
examining the statement made by Udichi president Syed Hasan Imam
that he was forewarned by somepeople to leave the dais of the function," one police
source said. Police is also looking for witnesses who might have seen some unusual
movements in the field, including a fracas involving local maastans hurling maize
at women.But no further details were available on the type of explosives that were used
in the two explosions. Nor the modusoperandi of the bombers, whether they detonated
the explosives could be known. Security sources believe those were grenades.But
the investigators were still unable to break the puzzle whether those were
triggered by remote control or timingdevices or were simply hurled from behind the
dais, a police source told The Daily Star.In a separate raid as part of a
crackdown on suspected terrorists and extremists a young man, Shamim Ahmed, 20
an alleged cadre of an underground extremist Group Sramajibi Mukti Andolan and its
self-styled 'Peoples Liberation Army,' was arrested yesterday from Mirzapur
village under Chowgachha thana, about 15 miles from Jessore.A cache of assorted weapons,
including a bolt-action, 303 rifle, two double barreled and two single barreled
shot guns,one home-made gun and a revolver with 18 rounds of ammunition were also
recovered, SP of Jessore Bazlur Rahmanand OC of Chowgachha Asrar Hossain said.Eight
others fled seeing police but Shamim, an HSC-passed youth from Jhenidah failed to
escape. They were suspected to have been gathering. Meanwhile, six of the injured
were shifted to the General Hospital today from different clinics in the town. They
are Munna, 20, Sandhya Biswas 22, Babul, 30, Kankar Chandra Pal, 28, Birbal, 20
and Swapan Chandra 26.A contingent from Army Medical Corps is helping treatment of
the 30 victims at the hospital.Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to visit them
tomorrow and also meet the family members of the eight killed.She is scheduled to
address a rally at the Eidgah Maidan in the afternoon after meeting leading
citizens and officials todiscuss law and order in the district and in the region,
officials said.Massive security arrangements have been made for the PM's visit in the
wake of the bomb explosions. BDR and Armydog squads are also being used.Meanwhile,
SP Jessore Bazlur Rahman told this correspondent that four policemen
led by an SI were deployed sinceMarch 3 to provide security for the Udichi function.
He refuted claims by Udichi leaders that they were not provided with security.
He said the Udichi leaders did not makeany written request for security.
Terrorists used hand grenades?
By Staff Correspondent
Investigations till yesterday suggested that the two
explosions at Jessore Town Hall might have been caused by hand
grenades that were rolled into the crowd from a short
distance, most likely from behind the dias, sources close to the
investigators said. The splinters and other specimens collected from the spot
have been found to be made from heavy cast iron.
It was also learnt that the Bangladesh Army does not have
any stock or specimen of the grenades that were used on
Sunday. The grenades are designed on original British model
and are produced in neighbouring countries including
Pakistan and India, the sources said. The police, CID and specialist teams from
the Army are carrying out investigations on the types and nature of device
used in the Jessore explosions. The sources said that most of the people who
were killed in the blasts received direct splinter hits above their waist
while several others who have been critically wounded sustained injuries below
their waist.
By Staff Correspondent
Monowar narrates his story " I was doing my professional duty as a journalist after
the first bomb blasted near the podium in the early hours ofSunday", said injured
Monwar Alam Monu, a photo journalist of Dainik Kallyan, published from Jessore." I
went to the other end of the podium crawling under it as there was a huge
crowd there taking snaps of the victims.Suddenly the second bomb blasted and I became
a victim" he told The Daily Star at his bed at Dhaka Medical CollegeHospital
(DMCH) yesterday.Monwar is one of the 13 victims now under treatment at different
city hospitals. Doctors and relatives said all of themare out of danger except one
Ratan Biswas whose condition is stated to be critical at the DMCH. Eight of the
victims are under treatment at the Pongu Hospital and one each at
the Suhrawardy Hospital, ChestDiseases Hospital and Islamia Eye Hospital. " I saw the
wife of Gopal, one of my neighbours, fell on the ground when the
second bomb blasted 7 to 8 yards fromme. After some time I realised that my legs
and abdomen were burning and lot of blood coming out", Monwar said." Then I alone
walked a few steps, got on a motor-bike any how and went to
Jessore hospital. On way to hospital, I asked passers-by to send the message to my
family".Monwar, father of two children said, "At the Jessore General Hospital, I was
kept more then four hours withouttreatment and I lost huge blood. Later they refereed
me to Khulna General Hospital. At last I was brought to DhakaMedical College
Hospital.".Victims Nahid, Sukanta, Samir, Badal Das, Razzak, Khelafat, Hasan Liakot and
Bulu have been admitted to thePongu Hospital.Ali Ahmed is at the Islamia Eye Hospital,
Niranjan is at the Suhrawardi Hospital and Gokul is at the Chest
DiseasesHospital.More bodies condemn Jessore killings
CHITTAGONG, Mar 9: Various professional groups held a joint protest meeting at
the local Central Shaheed Minarpremises on Monday denouncing the bomb attack at the
cultural function of Udichi Shilpi Goshti in Jessore, reportsUNB.The speakers
including artistes and cultural activists condemned the attack and killings in
Jessore and announced afive-day programme to protest the heinous incident.The
programmes include exchange of views between professionals and politicians on
March 10, mass signaturecollection on March 11, protest meeting on March 12,
dawn-to-dusk mass hunger strike at Central Shaheed Minarpremises on March 14 and
mourning procession and submission of memorandum to the Prime Minister on March
15.A mourning procession was also brought out in the port city after the meeting.
An APB report adds. Local units of Udichi Shilpi Goshti in Sirajganj and Sammilita
Sangskritic Jote began aweek-long programme in Sirajganj on Monday protesting the
killings at a cultural function in Jessore in the earlyhours of Sunday.The joint
programme includes hoisting of black flag, wearing of black badge,
protest rally and procession in thetown.The programme began with a protest rally at
the Press Club Crossing where the speakers strongly condemned thekilling and
criticised the government for its failure in maintaining law and
order. They demanded immediate arrest andexemplary punishment of the killers.The
rally was addressed by, among others, Dr Zahurul Huq Raja, Mahbub-e-Khoda Tutul,
Kazi Zahurul Islam,Salim Uddin Badal, Asad Uddin Pablu, Nabakumar and Ferdaus Robin,
with Advocate Pranab Chowdhury Tapu inthe chair.BSS adds: Rajshahi University
Vice-Chancellor Prof Abdul Khaleque yesterday strongly condemned the brutal
bombattack on a conference of Udichi Shilpi Gosthi in Jessore on Saturday.In a
statement, Prof Khaleque expressed deep shock at the killing of innocent people
and prayed for early recovery ofthose who were injured in the incident.Jatiya Mahila
Sangstha and Dhaka University Teachers' Association (DUTA) in separate statements
yesterdaycondemned the killings of eight people in bomb blasts at a function of Udichi
at Jessore on Saturday night, reportsBSS.Jatiya Mahila Sangstha chairman Ivy
Rahman said the country has lost valiant sons of the soil in the death of
eightcultural activists who believed in the spirit of the War of Liberation. Their
tragic death is an irreparable loss to the nation, she added.Expressing deep
concern at the killings of cultural activists in the explosions, DUTA president
Prof AFM YusufHaider and General Secretary Ferdous Hossain urged the government to take
effective measures to ensure security ofpolitical leaders, intellectuals and
cultural activists.They also demanded stringent punishment to the heinous killers.
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