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| Bangladesh |
| 34 BNP-Jamaat men sued for JMB patronage |
| 2007-10-03 |
| A case was filed in Rajshahi against 34 BNP and Jamaat leaders on Monday for torture and extortion and patronage of Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) -- a banned Islamist outfit. Ibrahim Ali of Kismat Bihanali village in Bagmara upazila lodged the case with a Rajshahi magistrate court, accusing, among others, Bagmara's Maria UP chairman and Jama'at leader Rezaul Karim Bacchhu and his predecessor and BNP leader Ismail Hossain. The complainant in his case statement said the accused tried to pressurise him into joining the JMB and demanded Tk 1 lakh in toll for the terror outfit on December 14, 2006. As he could not pay the money, the Jamaat and BNP men attacked his house and damaged his property, the complainant said adding that he was later tortured into paying Tk 30 thousand. Ibrahim alleged that he was also made to commit to paying the rest at a later date. The court ordered the officer-in-charge (OC) of Bagmara Police Station to investigate into the allegations. When contacted, Ismail Hossain -- the BNP leader -- described the case as a bid to harass him politically and socially. |
| Posted by:Fred |