The person who hacked the Facebook ID of Biplob Chandra Baidya has not yet been precisely identified, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan yesterday told the BBC. 

The Facebook authorities had given the Bangladesh government some idea, but not any concrete information about the hacker, the minister added.

His comments contradict earlier media reports that said the hacker had been identified. 

“[No one] has been identified, but the process is on. We asked the Facebook authorities how the post was circulated on Facebook after the ID was hacked. But they have yet to give us any clear idea,” the home boss said. 

Earlier, police and government officials said they had identified two people and taken them into custody.

In this regard, the minister said, “Both of them have told us that they were not involved in the hacking. That is why we approached Facebook to be sure [of their involvement].

“Facebook hasn’t provided us specific details, but they have given us some idea. We are looking into those.” 

Anjuman Kamal, assistant inspector general of Lawful Interception Unit (LIC) of Police Headquarters, told The Daily Star yesterday that they were working with Facebook authorities and would need some more information regarding the Bhola incident.

Meanwhile, a Bhola court granted a three-day remand each to five people in two separate cases filed with Borhanuddin police station. One was a murder case and the other was filed under the Digital Security Act.

Biplob Chandra Baidya -- the man whose Facebook ID was allegedly hacked -- Rafsan Islam Sharif and Md Imon were placed on three-day remand over the case filed under the Digital Security Act for spreading hate speech hurting religious sentiments. 

Biplob was arrested on October 19, after he had filed a GD stating that his ID was hacked and hate speech was being spread through it. Sharif was arrested from Patuakhali, while Imon from Borhanuddin the same day.

Police arrested Sharif after he made a phone call to Biplob from Patuakhali and demanded Tk 2,000 for returning his Facebook account. Imon was arrested as he had sold the SIM card, registered under another name, to Sharif which was used to make the call.

Earlier on Sunday, police claimed that they had “arrested the hackers”, Rafsan Islam Sharif, along with Imon.

The investigators now think that Sharif may not be the hacker, as he did not have the technical knowledge to hack an account. 

The two arrested in the murder case -- Arif and Sajib -- were picked up from different places in the district on Wednesday night, said the inspector (investigation) of Borhanuddin police station, and also the investigation officer.

Police arrested the duo after they were identified from footages of the protest on Sunday.

ISLAMIC FRONTS CALL OFF PROGRAMMES    

The Bhola district administration refused to give permission for holding any outdoor events today, resulting in two Islamic parties postponing their agitation programmes. 

Earlier, Sharbadalia Muslim Oikya Parishad and Islami Adolon Bangladesh had announced holding separate programmes protesting the death of four people killed in Sunday’s clash with police during the protest rally over hate speech spread through Facebook.  

They announced the agitation after their six-point charter was not met within the 72-hour ultimatum they had given. 

The Oikya Parishad had planned a special prayer session after the Jumma prayers at Bhola Government High School ground, while the Islami Adolon had chalked out an agitation programme and special prayer sessions at all of the 930 mosques in Bhola Sadar upazila. 

Mizanur Rahman, the joint convener of the parishad, announced the postponement around 9:00pm after a meeting of the platform’s high-ups. Mizanur said they had delayed the programmes after they were not given the permission to hold those. 

Similarly, Islami Andolon, also withdrew their agitation programmes and special prayers. 

Sirajul Islam, Islami Adolon Bangladesh, Bhola North unit president, told this newspaper, “We are withdrawing our programme as we could not secure the permission for it.”

Sharbadaliya Muslim Oikya Parishad placed a six-point demand at a press conference at Bhola Press Club around noon on Monday.

Their demands included immediate withdrawal of the superintendent of police in Bhola and the officer-in-charge of Borhanuddin police station, and capital punishment of the Hindu youth who they claimed was responsible for the spread of the hate speech. 

Bhola Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Masud Alam Siddique earlier said that no permission would be given for any outdoor programmes and focus would be on beefing up security. “We will beef up security across the district in order to maintain law and order situation. Additional law enforcers will be deployed,” he said.

“Law enforcers will guard important places of the town and other areas,” he said.

Masud Alam said he also instructed law enforcing agencies to provide increased security to all the 100 temples in the district.

A large number of law enforcers from Border Guard Bangladesh, police and Rapid Action Battalion, have been deployed in the Bhola area to keep the situation under control.

PROBE COMMITTEE FAILS TO MEET DEADLINE

The probe committee formed to investigate Sunday’s clashes was given two more working days to complete their probe. 

The committee formed by the DC office asked for the additional time and was granted it, Bhola DC Masud Alam said.

Meanwhile, a parliamentary body yesterday said hate crimes like the recent one in Bhola were taking place due to carelessness of the cybercrime unit of the police department. 

The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs at its meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban asked the cybercrime unit to intensify its monitoring activities, so that incidents like the one in Bhola could be avoided. 

“Hate crime incidents like in Bhola are taking place due to carelessness of the respective department of police. That’s why we have asked the cybercrime department to remain cautious so that such hate crime incidents cannot recur in the future,” ruling Awami League MP Faridul Haque Khan, who was present at the meeting, told The Daily Star.