Militant leader Bangla Bhai and his guru Shaikh Rahman are now caged in custody and one may think that their dreams of a Taliban-model Islamic rule in Bangladesh have been shattered. However, the miniscule model of Sharia rule he introduced in Bagmara remains as a footnote in Bangladesh's political annals, reports UNB.As the story goes, the maverick militant leader took control of Bagmara, an upazila of about five lakh people in Rajshahi district, in May 2004. Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, had promulgated a set of rules as described in Islamic Sharia for the people of Bagmara. The farmers had to deposit part of their seasonal crops as "Ushar" with his vigilante operations camp he established to eliminate communist outlaws. People also had to give Zakat, apart from toll, for the fund.
Abdul Jabbar of Hamirkutsa, Sekandar of Polashi and Ismail Hossain of Goalkandi were among the farmers from whom Bangla Bhai had taken share of their crops in Ushar. Under his strict rule of the militant kingpin, locals also had to cease from enjoying movies, buying CDs and doing VCD business, smoking in public and even making love. It was made obligatory for women to wear burqas (veils) and the men to keep their lungis and pantaloons above the ankles as per the taboos.
A CD shopkeeper in Bhawaniganj municipal area, who does not want to be named for fear of reprisals by the followers of Bangla Bhai, said, "We had to shut down our CD shop on Bangla Bhai's orders who had also asked me to surrender to his camp." On April 10, 2004, the CD shopkeeper had to meet Bangla Bhai at what is known as his 'Torture Cell' where he directed him to close down their CD business.
All sorts of obscenity--as believed and defined by the militants--had been banned during the Islamic rule of Afghan model they replicated in the one upazila before spreading their wings across Bangladesh under a mega-plan.
Teenagers found involved in love affairs used to be produced before their makeshift Sharia court and be punished. Another villager said Bangla Bhai had conscripted young villagers to join his militant training and punished those who did not comply. "One day, Bangla Bhai took some young men to Helipad area at Bhawaniganj in the name of holding a meeting and beat them up there in presence of hundreds of people for refusing to join his militant outfit," the villager said, also on condition of anonymity. Besides, taking drugs and alcohol was also a punishable offence, and many a youth was beaten up for such offence.