Jamaat man held in Chuadanga

Police yesterday arrested an activist of Jamaat-e-Islami for his alleged involvement in Sunday's attack on a Chuadanga baul akhra (den) that left four bauls, including two women, seriously injured.

The arrestee is Jamat Ali, 41, an activist of Jibonnagar upazila unit of Jamaat, said Belayat Hossain, additional superintendent of police in Chuadanga.

“We suspect that Jamat was directly involved in the incident,” said the police official.

Shahidul Islam, a veteran baul and also donor of the piece of land where the akhra is situated, filed a case with Jibonnagar Police Station on Sunday night, accusing eight to 10 unknown people.  

Now, Shahidul's son Mukul Hossain, who is also a baul, looks after the akhra. Shahidul gave up taking care of the akhra because of his old age. 

Police said they picked up five Jamaat and Islami Chhatra Shibir men from the area on suspicion of the attack early yesterday. After interrogation, they freed all except Jamat Ali.

Police claimed that they have gleaned some information from him on the attack.

Chuadanga Chief Judicial Magistrate's court sent Jamat to jail after police produced him before the court yesterday.

Police said they would seek remand for Jamat for further interrogation.

Humayan Kabir, officer-in-charge of Jibonnagar Police Station, said the drive was going on to arrest the other culprits.

Around 1:30am on Sunday, some eight to 10 attackers carrying sharp weapons swooped on the bauls, including the four, who were asleep at a tin-shed room of the akhra in Ektarpur village.

Of the injured, Abdur Rahim, 65, Rashida Khatun, 60, and Bulu Begum, 50, were badly hacked. Condition of the other, Bakso Mondol, 50, could not be known since he has been out of trace.

The victims of the attack had come to join a two-day Sadhu Sanga (a gathering of bauls) at Mukul's akhra. The event ended Saturday night.

Wounded Rashida is now undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Her condition is critical. The others were admitted at different hospitals.

Police and other sources said a group of locals involved in Jamaat politics are against the bauls and their akhra.

“He [Jamat Ali] and his accomplices often came to my akhra. Noticing our activities, Jamat criticised those and termed those un-Islamic,” said Shahidul, founder of the akhra, while talking to this correspondent over the phone yesterday.

Shahidul, aged around 70, who spent about 45 years of his life in baul cult, said he suspected that Sunday's attackers were involved in the previous attack on bauls in 2014. Six bauls, including his son Mukul, were wounded in the attack.

“My son Mukul filed a case [with Jibonnagar Police Station] after that attack, but police did not take any action in this regard,” Shahidul said.  

According to Mukul, he went to the police station at least six to seven times after the case was filed, but did not get any response from the law enforcers.

Contacted, OC Humayan Kabir said he came to know about the case on Sunday as he was not in the police station at that time.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, baul Bulu Khatun, who broke her right leg in Sunday's attack, demanded justice.

She is undergoing treatment at a clinic in Kushtia.