The Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said the arrested Jubo Dal President Sultan Salauddin Tuku was behind the Gazipur train derailment incident.
“Former Chhatra Dal vice-president and current Jubo Dal leader Ikhtiyar Rahman Kabir, 43, followed his instructions,” Additional Commissioner of DMP and CTTC chief Md Asaduzzaman disclosed the matter at a press briefing at DMP Media Centre on Monday.
Jubo Dal President Sultan Salahuddin Tuku had planned to create panic among the people by sabotaging the railway track in Joydebpur. He contacted Kabir and said that there was “pressure to do something big” from the party's high-level officials. Tuku also mentioned they were given a huge amount of money from the party fund, said the CTTC chief.
"There have been incidents of vandalism, arson, and bomb blasts in the capital. But the train services were running normally. People used the railway as a safe method of transportation. Hence they planned to sabotage the railway lines. Furthermore, the aim was to cause massive casualties on the railway,” he added.
The official added that Kabir, instructed by Tuku, contacted two leaders of Gazipur’s Kazi Azim Uddin College unit Chhatra Dal’s former convener Toha, and Gazipur Metropolitan unit Chhatra Dal Organizing Secretary Masum.
“They were tasked with executing the plan. They were also asked to select the place and make the sabotage successful. To implement the plan, Toha and Masum held a meeting at Gazipur City Corporation's Ward Councilor Hasan Azmal Bhuiyan and decided on the strategy to implement the plan,” the CTTC chief added.
Initially, the group planned to remove the nuts and bolts from the railway track but failed to execute it. Later, they decided to cut the railway track. As they needed more people, the group contacted Chhatra Dal President Emon Hossain of Ward No 24 under Lalbagh police station.
“On December 10, Kabir, Emon, Toha and Masum bought all the equipment from a shop in Nawabpur of Old Dhaka and kept it at Emon's house. According to the plan, they went to Gazipur on December 12. On the same day, Emon and Kabir went to Joydebpur Railway Station, and Toha and Masum made all preparations including renting a microbus, and buying a gas cylinder,” CTTC chief Md Asaduzzaman said.
On the night of December 13, a total of nine people gathered on the spot and started cutting the railway line, the official said.
CTTC recovered cutters and other items from the arrestees’ possession on Sunday.
A chicken trader, Aslam Mia, 35, died, while 10 people, including the train driver and his assistant, sustained injuries in the incident reported on December 13.
The police have previously made several other arrests over the incident.