Publishing leaflets, jihadi books, different outlets and pasting posters on city street walls secretly, the banned organisation has been trying to build up their network amongst the students of different reputed educational institutions in Chittagong.
The organisation, however, was silent in last few months, but recently they have become secretly active, said police sources.
Police nabbed 48 Hizb-ut Tahrir men from the district with many leaflets, zihadi books and banners in last three months, while the number of arrestees was 17 from November, 2013 to February, 2014, they added.
In the latest incident, Kotwali police early yesterday nabbed Hizb-ut Tahrir leader Atikur Rahman, 24, an MBA student of Chittagong University, from a student mess in the port city’s Anderkillah area acting on a tip-off.
AKM Mohiuddin, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station, told Dhaka Tribune that they found some zihadi books and leaflets from his possession, while they also nabbed seven activists of the banned organisation from Anderkillah Shahi Jam-e-Masjid premises after Jumah prayer on Friday when they attempted to bring out a procession.
“The arrestees are students of different colleges and universities of the city, while they did not give mentionable information after repeated queries in initial interrogation,” he said.
Two cases were filed with Kotwali police station in this connection, while the arrestees were produced before court yesterday, he added.
Metropolitan Magistrate Rahmat Ali sent the eight arrestees to jail rejecting a seven-day remand prayer and bail plea from police and defence, said Rezaul Masud, additional deputy commissioner of prosecution of the CMP.
Sources said around about 10,000 members of the banned organisation were working actively across the country where most of them are students of reputed educational institutions, including Dhaka University, Chittagong University, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
The banned organisation, however, did not conduct any subversive activities elsewhere in the country, but they were publishing anti-state, communal and militant statements by pasting posters, publishing leaflets and Zihadi books, sources said.
Police said although around 200 leaders and activists of the banned organisation were arrested from different brisk processions in the port city and elsewhere of the district in last five years, police could not find out any mentionable information about the organisation.
Kotwali police station OC said that the organisation had no office and they carried out their programmes secretly.
“It is tough to trace the high commands of the organisation, as police could nab the root-level activists only who have no contact with the high command because of their several-step organisational structure,” he said.
Seeking anonymity, a high official of the CMP told the Dhaka Tribune that CMP still did not know where they had been printing their publications, who had been leading the organisation in Chittagong region or who had been donating to the organisation.
ADC Babul Akhter of Detective Branch of the CMP said police were working to collect information about the organisation. “The organisational activities are being operated such a system so that a portion cannot know another portion’s activities except their high command.”
CMP Additional Commissioner (crime and operation) Banaz Kumar Majumder claimed that Hizb-ut Tahrir was only enclosed with pasting posters, distributing leaflets and attempt of bringing out processions secretly, while the CMP had a strong vigil over the militant and banned groups.
Home Ministry of Bangladesh had banned the organisation in the country on September 24, 2009 as its objectives were contradictory to the constitution of the country, internet sources said.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
