Sacked minister Latif Siddique’s sudden homecoming from Kolkata and immediate disappearance on Sunday night gave rise to daylong drama and confusions yesterday.
Until last night, police said they could not trace Latif, who has arrest warrants in several cases for hurting religious sentiments.
State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said Latif could not be arrested without the speaker’s permission because a session of the Jatiya Sangsad was going on and he was still an incumbent lawmaker.
But hours later, JS Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said her permission was not needed for arresting the former minister. She said her permission was required only if Latif, who had lost his portfolio and Awami League membership but was still an MP, had to be arrested at the parliament premises.
Latif’s lawyer Nurul Islam Sujon’s u-turn regarding his client’s whereabouts also contributed to the deepening confusion.
Yesterday morning, Sujon reportedly said his client had went to the High Court to seek anticipatory bail. Immediately, some of the television channels put that up as a breaking news.
However, as dozens of journalists rushed to the court premises within an hour or so, Sujon took a complete u-turn and claimed: “Nobody named Latif Siddique has contacted me. Nobody has contacted me even on his behalf. I never said he had come to the court.”
Many journalists, who waited until the end of the day at the court premises, did not get to see the former minister either.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam confirmed that the state had not received any bail prayer.
Many common people also gathered in front of the Annex building of the HC to show their anger at Latif. Several pro-BNP-Jamaat lawyers brought out a procession at the court premises demanding immediate arrest.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond filed a public interest litigation with the High Court yesterday seeking the court’s directive in arresting Latif in 24 hours.
Earlier yesterday, a Dhaka court directed the OC of the capital’s Ramna police station to arrest Latif in connection with a case filed for hurting religious sentiments. Metropolitan Magistrate Md Atiquer Rahman passed the order following a petition filed by complainant Abed Raja, a pro-BNP lawyer.
Including this one, Latif has a total of seven cases filed against him with the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) of Dhaka and several other cases with other courts in different parts of the country. Most of those courts have issued arrest warrants against the former minister after he had not appeared despite summons.
Since Latif made derogatory remarks on Hajj, Ijtema and PM’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy at a programme in the USA on September 28, radical Islamist groups such as Hefazat-e-Islam and other political parties have been demanding that the government brings him back to the country and puts him on trial.
Yesterday, Hefazat and another Islamist party Islami Oikyo Jote called a nationwide strike for Thursday if he was not arrested by tommrrow.
The Nationalist Democratic Front (NDF), an alliance formed recently by some unknown dissidents of the BNP-Jamaat-led 20-party combine, went a step further, threatening to enforce hartal today unless Latif was arrested by last night.
Other Islamist units such as the Islami Andolon Bangladesh and Khelafat Mojlish staged protests in Dhaka and Chittagong and threatened to wage tough movement in the same demand.
Latif’s former party colleagues from his hometown Tangail also demanded his immediate arrest and trial. Tangail district Awami League brought out a procession yesterday in the town.
However, their reaction had been mixed; while some would welcome him if he regained his position in the party, others said the matter should be left to the party high command.
Alamgir Khan, president of Tangail district unit Awami League, said: “It is up to the prime minister...We will welcome whatever decision she makes.”
Sirajul Haque Alamgir, president of Tangail city unit Awami League, said: “We believe that Mr Siddique will return to his post by virtue of his competency. People of Tangail will certainly welcome him.”
Suranjit Sengupta, advisory council member of the Awami League, said: “He was declared unwanted. If he has visa then he can return to the country even if there is arrest warrant against him. Everyone has the right to get justice. The government and the party have done everything required. Now we will have to wait and see what the court does. The government will not give any dictation in this regard.”
The veteran Awami League leader also said: “There is nothing to be worried about Latif Siddique. Law will follow its own course and nothing untoward will happen.”
However, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Siddique had not been arrested because he had the government’s blessings.
“It has become clear that the government strongly supports Siddique’s return to Dhaka. If that was not the case then he would not have been allowed to leave the airport. Why was he not arrested there?” Fakhrul inquired.
HM Ershad, chief of main opposition in parliament Jatiya Party and also a special envoy to the PM, said in a press release yesterday that his party would launch a movement if Latif was not arrested immediately.
He said: “It is not understandable how Latif Siddique got out from the airport although there are arrest warrants against him. Is he above law? We strongly condemn the government’s role.”
Latif had been living in the USA, UK and lastly in India’s Kolkata since he made the derogatory remarks and was subsequently sacked from the cabinet and party. In a sudden move, former Awami League presidium member Latif returned to Dhaka around 8:40pm on Sunday.
Upon his arrival at the Dhaka airport’s VIP lounge he was kept under surveillance of immigration police. Later, police let him go around 9:30pm.
A number of witnesses said after his arrival at the airport Latif stayed around an hour in the VIP lounge, and then left with help from law enforcers.
Even the journalists, many of whom thronged the airport with cameras, could not notice when and how Latif actually left.
