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| Bangladesh |
| 20 armed cadres identified |
| 2010-01-21 |
| [Bangla Daily Star] Police have identified 20 persons who wielded firearms and various sharp weapons during Monday's clashes between two factions of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal on Dhaka University campus. Among them, the three arm-wielding men seen in newspaper photos and TV footages of the clashes were identified as former leaders of JCD, the student wing of BNP. They are former JCD organising secretary Ahsan Uddin Shipon and assistant organising secretary Abdul Halim Khokan, and Khaleda Zia Mukti Parishad leader Saiduzzaman Pasha. Apart from the mysterious inaction of law enforcers, the whole incident now seems even more mysterious as a number of leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League equipped with firearms and sharp weapons were found involved in the clashes. Ramna Zone Additional Deputy Commissioner Nurul Islam told The Daily Star yesterday evening that they identified around 20 persons who were equipped with firearms and various sharp weapons during Monday's clashes. Sources said a large number of the armed activists of both the JCD factions as well as BCL are outsiders. They also alleged that all the law enforcement and intelligence agencies were aware that the violence would occur. A senior police official of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said most of the 20 identified persons are from the rival group of JCD President Sultan Salauddin Tuku, who was severely injured by his rivals. The rest were Tuku's supporters and BCL activists. Hailing from Kotchandpur upazila of Jhenidah district, Saiduzzaman Pasha, wearing jeans and a black muffler as shown in newspaper photos and TV footages, is a third-year student of political science at Dhaka College. After BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was arrested during the caretaker government's rule, Pasha put up posters at Dhaka College and surrounding area under the banner of "Khaleda Zia Mukti Parishad", of which he was the president. Pasha is also accused in several cases filed with the city's New Market, Jatrabari and Demra police stations on charges of extortion and other criminal acts. JCD Senior Vice-President Shahidul Islam Babul, who is one of the accused in a case filed by Shahbagh police in connection with the campus violence, told The Daily Star over phone, "I know Pasha was a leader of Khaleda Zia Mukti Parishad but he never held any post in Chhatra Dal." Campus sources said Shipon, wearing a black leather jacket, was seen wielding a firearm in front of Surya Sen Hall. His assistant Khokan was also equipped with a firearm. Masud, former general secretary of Jasim Uddin Hall unit JCD, was seen hurling bombs. A few witnesses said they also saw four JCD leaders wielding firearms and two others hurling bombs. The witnesses, however, could not mention their names. Other witnesses and police sources said they saw several BCL leaders equipped with sharp weapons taking part in the clashes. However, Dhaka University BCL unit President Sheikh Sohel Rana Tipu denied the allegations, saying none of his party men were involved in such activities. According to campus sources, the BCL leaders and activists took part in the clashes between the JCD factions to take political advantages. The role of law enforcers deployed on the campus also raised questions as they remained mysteriously inactive during the incident. Although the armed JCD and BCL activists clashed in front of them in broad daylight, they neither arrested anybody nor tried to stop the violence. Asked about the allegations, DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Hoque told The Daily Star, "Police were busy ensuring security on the campus. It is not always possible to prevent entry of firearms into the huge campus area." |
| Posted by:Fred |