DHAKA: Top Jamaat leaders Matiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary-General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee were Wednesday remanded for 16 days each in five cases, a day after they were arrested in the wake of latest significant developments on the country’s political front.

Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Ali Hossain placed them on three-day remand in three cases each filed with Paltan Police Station, rejecting police prayer for 10 days’ remand.

The cases were filed against Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary-General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayedee on charges of torching vehicles, and obstructing President’s movement and police duty.

In another simultaneous legal move, Metropolitan Magistrate Ismail Hossain put the top-brass trio of the Islamic party on three more days’ remand in a sedition case filed with Uttara Thana.

Furthermore, Metropolitan Magistrate SK Tofail Hassan granted another four days for quizzing them under police custody in a case filed with Ramna Thana on charge of setting fire to vehicles during the July 27 hartal, enforced by the BNP-led mainstream opposition as part of their anti-government movement.

However, the same court granted bail to all the three in the case of hurting religious sentiments for which they had been detained, at a time when the Awami League government is readying the stage for the belated trial of 1971 war criminals, including the Jamaat leaders as main suspects.        




During the fast moves in the corridors of court, police also appealed to the court for implicating them in cases related to the killings of freedom fighters during the Liberation War. There were, however, no court proceedings long that line.    

Earlier in the afternoon, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ali Hossain of Dhaka showed them arrested in a bunch of eight cases after police produced them in the court at 4:30pm.

A huge contingent of law-enforcers was deployed in the court area while the three Jamaat leaders—the first two former ministers-- were being escorted to the court.

Meanwhile, the three Jamaat leaders were Wednesday shown arrested in the case of Chhatra League activist Faruque killing at Rajshahi University.

Rajshahi Metropolitan Magistrate Amirul Islum granted the plea as investigating officer Sohel Rana petitioned the court for showing them arrested in the case at about 11am.

The three were arrested in the capital and Savar on Tuesday, hours after a Dhaka court issued arrest warrant against them in connection with the case of hurting religious sentiments of Muslims.

Meanwhile, their arrest triggered a backlash during the party’s countrywide protest programmes Wednesday that left many Jamaat faithful wounded and arrested.

BDST 1750 hrs June 30, 2010