Police have filed a case over the vandalism and torching in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and Shahbagh areas in Dhaka following the death of Delwar Hossain Sayedee, who was sentenced to prison until death for committing crimes against humanity in 1971.
A total of 5,000 persons including Masud Sayedee, son of Delwar Hossain Sayedee, and three leaders of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami were made accused in this case.
Shahbagh police station sub-inspector (SI) Md Jabbar filed the case with the Shahbagh thana on Tuesday night on allegations of attacking police and obstructing government duty.
Other than Masud Sayedee, three Jamaat leaders who have been named in the case are: the party’s assistant secretary Hamidur Rahman, Dhaka city south unit general secretary Shafiqul Islam alias Masud and Dhaka city unit assistant secretary Md Saiful Islam.
Shahbagh police station inspector (investigation) Shah Alam confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo saying no one has been arrested in this case as yet.
According to the case statement, Delwar Hossain Sayedee died at BSMMU hospital while undergoing treatment on Monday night. Hearing the news, thousands of Jamaat-Shibir leaders and activists gathered in BSMMU and Shahbagh areas, and chanted provocative various slogans.
At one stage, they brought out a procession parading from Bangla Motor to Matshay Bahban, bringing a halt to vehicular movements. Inbound patients of BIRDEM and BSMMU hospitals were also stuck due to the demonstration.
As police requested the Jamaat-Shibir men to clear the streets, they became angry and started chanting anti-government and state slogans. While taking the Sayedee’s body to his village in Pirojpur in early Tuesday, Jamaat-Shibir leaders and activists attacked police with brick chips, sticks and iron rods. They also obstructed police from carrying out their duties.
They torched and damaged the government establishments inside the BSMMU, and hurled cocktails at police, leaving several policemen injured. They also set fire to police vehicles, motorcycles and armoured vehicles and vandalised those.
At one stage, police brought out the freezer van carrying Sayedee’s body. At that time, police fired tear gas shells, rubber bullets and sound grenades and dispersed the Jamaat-Shibir leaders and activists.
Earlier, police also filed another case with the capital’s Paltan police station against 116 leaders and activists of Jamaat on allegations of attacking police and obstructing their official duties following the death of Delwar Hossain Sayedee.
Delawar Hossain Sayedee, who was known for preaching religious sermons, died at BSMMU on Monday night. He was a nayebe amir of Jamaat and was elected as a member of parliament from the Pirojpur-1 constituency
He was arrested on 29 June 2010 in a case filed on charges of hurting religious sentiment. He was later shown arrested for crimes against humanity on 2 August that year.
On 28 February 2013, the International Crimes Tribunal-1 sentenced Sayedee to death for his involvement in crimes against humanity like killing, looting, rape and forcefully converting Hindus to Muslims in Parerhat of Pirojpur district.
Later, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court commuted Sayedee's death penalty to jail until his death on 17 September 2014.
Leaders and activists of Jamaat and Islami Chhatra Shibir had launched mayhem across the country following the verdict. They also engaged in clashes with police over holding the gayebana namz-e-janaza of Sayedee in Dhaka, Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, leaving one dead in Chakaria of Cox’s Bazar.