Hefazat seeks withdrawal of all 322 cases against it

Hefazat-e-Islam has demanded the immediate withdrawal of all cases filed against its leaders and activists over the past decade, warning of serious consequences if the government fails to respond.

According to Hefazat, a total of 322 cases were filed against the group, including 73 in Dhaka alone. Around 7,000 individuals were named as accused, while nearly 300,000 remain unnamed in these cases.

The cases stem mainly from two waves of unrest—first, the deadly crackdown on May 5, 2013, when Hefazat members gathered at Shapla Chattar in Dhaka's Motijheel, and second, the violence that broke out during protests around Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on March 26, 2021.

Hefazat Joint Secretary General Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi told The Daily Star yesterday that although applications had been submitted for the withdrawal of all cases, only 16 have so far been withdrawn in Dhaka.

"These cases include charges of terrorism, sabotage, obstruction of government work, and murder," he noted.

"This is deeply regrettable. We are stakeholders in the anti-fascism movement. In this struggle, 84 of our brothers sacrificed their lives. A massacre was carried out against us at Shapla Chattar, yet the government has taken no meaningful steps to address our grievances.

"The cases must be withdrawn through mutual understanding. If not, and if public anger erupts, it could lead to disastrous consequences for both the country and the government."

Twelve years back, on May 5, 2013, the incident led to widespread clashes across the capital and in several districts, including Narayanganj, Bagerhat, and Brahmanbaria.

Five days after the incident, the then government, in a press note on May 10, said that a total of 11 people, including three pedestrians and a policeman, were killed on the day at different stages of clashes.

The human rights organisation Odhikar reported that 61 Hefazat members were killed in the law enforcement operation at Shapla Chattar.

Following the 2013 incident, the ousted Awami League-led government filed 83 cases in Dhaka and seven other districts. Police have so far submitted charge sheets in 21 of those cases and final probe reports in two.

Investigations into most of the remaining 60 cases are still ongoing.

In the 2021 unrest, violence spread beyond the capital to districts including Brahmanbaria, Hathazari in Chattogram, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, and Kishoreganj.

A total of 221 cases were filed in connection with those clashes.

Speaking to The Daily Star yesterday, Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi said, "There are around 60 cases against Hefazat in Dhaka. The group applied for the withdrawal of these cases. So far, we have given opinions in 45 cases and sent them to the district administration."

Since the Shapla Chattar incident, more than a thousand Hefazat leaders and activists had been arrested, according to its leaders.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, the jailed Hefazat members were released on bail.

Meanwhile, on August 18 last year, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 33 others were accused of "mass killing" in a case filed over the Shapla Chattar incident.

Two days later, on August 20, a complaint was filed with the investigation agency of the International Crimes Tribunal over the same incident, accusing Hasina and 23 others of committing crimes against humanity and genocide.