Detective Branch police arrested Mufti Mohammad Wakkas, deputy chief of Dhaka City Unit Hefazat-e Islam from Malibagh Chowdhury Para area in the city on Monday afternoon on charge of Shapla Chattar mayhem on May 5. Mufti Mohammad Wakkas, is also the general secretary of Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam, which is associated with the Islami Oikkya Jote – a member of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led 18-Party alliance.
Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (public relations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police told The Independent, “He was arrested in a case filed with Shahbagh police station following the Shapla Chattar mayhem on May 5 and he would be produced before the court on Tuesday seeking police remand.”
Police said Mufti Mohammad Wakkas, the former State Minister for Religious Affairs during the regime of HM Ershad was accused in 10 cases filed with Motijheel and Paltan police station, including police sub-inspector Mohammad Shajahan killing case.
Ahlullah Wasel, Dhaka City Unit press secretary of Hifazat-e Islam, said the law enforcers did not give any reasons for the arrest.
The law enforcers detained Mufti Mohammad Wakkas from a meeting of Qaumi Madrasa Board, he further said. Hefazat chief Shah Ahmad Shafi and Secretary General Junaid Babunagri have condemned the arrest of Mufti Mohammad Wakkas.
In a statement they warned the government not to ‘cross the line’. They also said plots to thwart their movements by detaining and harassing their supporters would not work.
Hifazat-e Islam, a Quami madrasa-based Islamic organisation based in Chittagong, held a rally in the city’s commercial hub Motijheel on May 5 following its high-voltage “Dhaka-Siege” programme to press home their 13-point charter of demands.
The demands include exemplary punishment to all ‘atheist’ bloggers and others who “insult Islam” and a ban on mixing of men and women in public.
-With The Independent input
