Himu’s Window

Police arrested nine more militants and Bangla Bhai aides early morning yesterday in Rajshahi and Natore.

Following two cases filed on Sunday by torture victims accusing the arrestees, several police teams led by Mirza Golam Sarwar, officer-in-charge of Bagmara Police Station (PS), arrested seven militants from their houses at Palashi village.

They are Abdul Jalil Amin, 56, father of notorious militant leader “Killer Mostak”, Abdur Rahim, 26, Abdul Hamid Mondol, 30, Abul Mondol, 28 Abul Kalam, 28, Nazrul Dorji, 40, and Moksed Ali, 52.

Two other militants — Abdul Kuddus and Hafizul Islam — were held from former deputy minister Ruhul Kuddus Talukhdar Dulu’s village home Ramsa Kazipur.

With this, a total of 24 militants were arrested in three cases filed since Friday.

On Sunday, torture victim Ayub Ali Pramanik filed a case accusing 27 militants and their patrons including former post and telecommunications minister barrister Aminul Haque, deputy minister of land Ruhul Kuddus Talukhdar Dulu and lawmaker Nadim Mostafa.

Another torture victim, Muhidul Islam Khan, filed another case the same day with Naldanga PS in Natore.

However, police are still reluctant to go after the accused big guns in the last BNP-Jamaat alliance government despite allegations that they are the masterminds and patrons of militants in the country.

“We are not thinking of arresting them [accused militant patrons] right now…We are examining allegations [made in cases],” said Rajshahi division police’s DIG (deputy inspector general) AKM Shahidul Haque while talking to The Daily Star yesterday.

“No one [accused] will be spared if sufficient evidence is found against the accused,” Haque added.

Former deputy minister for land Ruhul Kuddus Talukhdar Dulu already surrendered before a Dhaka court after he was asked to submit his wealth statement. He is now accused in about 15 cases for corruption, terrorism and torture.

Two more former BNP lawmakers were sued on Sunday for patronising militants of banned Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in Natore and Rajshahi.

Victims of JMB atrocities–Muhidul Islam Khan of Puthia and Ayub Ali Pramanik of Bagmara upazila–filed two cases Sunday against ex-deputy minister for land Ruhul Kuddus Talukder Dulu and former lawmaker Nadim Mostafa, among others.

Former post and telecommunications minister Aminul Huq stands accused in one of the cases. He already faces charges of helping the militants commit brutalities in the northern districts.

Fazlur Rahman, who was kidnapped and left maimed by Bangla Bhai and his men three years ago, filed the case against him and 27 others Friday. It was the first case against any of those ex-BNP ministers and lawmakers alleged to have been the masterminds behind the rise of Islamic militancy in the northern districts.

In their cases, Muhidul and Ayub alleged that the militants had tortured and extorted money from them in collusion with the accused BNP leaders. Bangla Bhai, who was executed along with his chief Abdur Rahman and four other militants late Thursday night, would keep in contact with the former ministers and lawmakers over cell phones during their vigilante operations in 2004.

Muhidul accused 21 people including Dulu, Nadim, Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai while Ayub brought charges against Aminul Huq, Dulu and Nadim and 27 others.

MUHIDUL’S CASE
Muhidul used to work at the rice mill owned by Nadim. Dulu’s cadres picked him up from Akkelpur at Naldanga on June 13, 2004. He was tied up before being taken to Amtali school ground where he was asked to pay Tk 20,000.

“Our leaders think police are not enough to contain the outlaws and so they assigned us with the job. Now you have to contribute to the funds needed for that,” Muhidul in his complaint quoted one of the militants as saying.

But as he refused to pay the amount, they gave him a severe beating. Muhidul said he had heard Bangla Bhai and some of his men boasting of staying in touch with the then ministers and lawmakers.

Besides, JMB cadre Ratan told him that Bangla Bhai and his gang had held a meeting with Dulu and Nadim Mostafa at Dulu’s village home at Ramsa Kazipur.

Muhidul was freed after his relatives managed Tk 10,000 for the militants, additional superintendent of police in Natore Fazlur Rahman said briefing journalists about the case.
The other accused are Ratan, Kalu, Ibrahim, Kawsar, Afzal, Amjad, Golap, Hafizur, Aser, Abdur Razzak, Yunus, Ataur and Abdul Kuddus.

AYUB’S CASE
Abdul Jalil Amin and his group waylaid farmer Ayub Ali Pramanik, 55, while he was going to his work in the morning of April 7, 2004. They asked him to pay Tk 1 lakh for what they said was a drive to rid the area of Sarbaharas.

But as he said ‘no’ he was tied and blindfolded and taken to the house of Ramzan Kaya, a collaborator during the Liberation War, at Hamirkutsa.

There, Bangla Bhai beat him up. After daylong torture, he gave in to the demand and was freed.
Though left badly battered, he was not allowed to go out of the village for treatment till he handed the militants Tk 80,000 at Ramzan’s house.

In his complaint, he said Jalil had named Aminul Huq, Dulu and Nadim as their leaders and that more could be learnt from former officers-in-charge of Bagmara Police Station Ruhul Amin, ABM Golam Kibria and sub-inspector Brojendranath.