At least nine active members of the banned Islamist outfit Hizb-ut Tahrir, Bangladesh were arrested in the capital’s Khilkhet and Kalabagan at different times yesterday.
Large quantities of publications, including books, leaflets and posters were also seized from the possession of the detained men, who are students of different colleges and madrasas, including Titumir College, Aliya Madrasa and Khilkhet Madrasa, said police.
Police said the publications contained various types of provocative, anti-state and anti-government statements.
The Tahrir men arrested in Khilkhet area were identified as Al Amin, 20, Md Saifullah, 24, Rashedul Islam, 18, Ibrahim Sheikh, 20, Ataur Rahman, 20, Mahbubur Rahman, 20, Zihad Islam, and Abdul Kaiyum while another member of the banned organisation, who was arrested at Kalabagan area, was identified as Md Sohag Hafiz, 32.
Of them Zihad and Kaiyum are students of Titumir College and the others of madrasas.
Nazrul Islam, the officer-in-charge of Khilkhet police station, said, “The leaflets, posters and books contain statements related to ousting the government and the establishment of Khilafat. Besides, the publications also included provocative statements directed towards the Armed Forces members.”
“The Tahrir men had been distributing their publications and also trying to bring out a procession,” said the OC and added, “When the police chased after them, many of them ran away, but we were able to detain these eight.”
Md Iqbal Hossain, the OC of Kalabagan police station, said they had arrested Sohag Hafiz while he was distributing leaflets of the banned organisation on Bashir Uddin Road after the Jum’a prayers.
But sources said Kalabagan police had arrested around a dozen youths suspected to be the members of Hizb-ut Tahrir, but except for Sohag, the rest were freed “mysteriously.”
Hizb-ut Tahrir was banned by the government on October 22, 2009 and since then over 1,000 leaders and activists have been arrested. Around 100 of them have been sentenced to jail by mobile courts for running the activities of the banned organisation.
