Dhaka gets tough with Islamists on 40th Victory Day
December 16th, 2010 - 2:55 pm ICT by IANS
Dhaka, Dec 16 (IANS) A top opposition leader was held on murder charge and a court rejected a petition of the chief of the largest Islamist party as Bangladesh Thursday celebrated its 40th Bijoy Divas (liberation day), marking its separation from Pakistan.In a blow to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), authorities arrested its Standing Committee member Salahuddin Qader Chowdhury, who leads the Islamists within the main opposition party and is considered close to former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
His detention took place Wednesday for his alleged involvement in killing Nutan Chandra Kundu, a Hindu entrepreneur and philanthropist, in Chittagong port town April 13, 1971, besides 107 others during the freedom movement.
Government investigators have moved the International Crimes Tribunal set up to try those accused of targeting unarmed civilians in 1971. The tribunal fixed next Sunday for hearing the petition.
In detaining Chowdhury on murder charge, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government is following the same drill of having arrested the top brass of Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party, earlier this year, on charges other than “war crimes”.
A bench of the high court Wednesday summarily rejected the petition to quash the “war crimes” trial of Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, The Daily Star reported.
Besides Nizami, Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid, Senior Assistant Secretary General Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, and Assistant Secretary General Abdul Quader Molla are under detention.
While the BNP says it is for impartial trials, the Jamaat leaders deny any role in the 1971 killings and say the detentions are politically motivated.
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- Bangladesh changes rules to detain 1971 war criminals - Nov 02, 2010
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- Bangladesh opposition leader faces trial for 'war crime' - Dec 30, 2010
- Another Islamist leader to face 'war crimes' trial - Aug 04, 2010
- Dhaka court rejects Jamaat challenge to war tribunal judges - Jul 27, 2010
- Top BNP leader faces arrest for targeting Hindus - Sep 26, 2010
- Arrest warrants against Bangladesh Islamists - Jul 26, 2010
- Bangladesh opposition leader to be tried for 'war crimes' - Dec 22, 2010
- Dhaka Islamist leaders jailed for 1971 `war crimes' - Aug 02, 2010
- Protests planned in US against Dhaka's war crimes trial - Jan 02, 2011
- Bangladesh begins war crimes trial process - Jul 25, 2010
- War crimes trial divides Bangladesh opposition - Mar 29, 2011
- No 1971 trial details to media, rules Dhaka panel - May 25, 2011
- Dhaka Islamists drag India in blame game over 1971 war crimes - Dec 15, 2010
Tags: ahsan, assistant secretary general, bangladesh nationalist party, bangladesh nationalist party bnp, bijoy, chittagong port, former prime minister, freedom movement, government investigators, impartial trials, international crimes, islamist party, khaleda zia, liberation day, main opposition party, minister sheikh hasina, opposition leader, unarmed civilians, victory day, war crimes trial