Akhtaruzzaman has become leader of persecuted people: Jamaat chief

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman has described arrested Jamaat leader Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman as a leader of all victims and persecuted people across Bangladesh.

“You are no longer just a Jamaat-e-Islami leader. You have now become the leader of all the victims and persecuted people across Bangladesh,” Shafiqur said, referring to Akhtaruzzaman, while addressing the inauguration of a dengue prevention awareness week organised by his party in Dhaka’s Moghbazar today (4 October).

Shafiqur said Akhtaruzzaman, a distinguished citizen and freedom fighter, was handcuffed to humiliate him.

“He was made to wear a helmet to humiliate him. A jacket was fastened around his chest. We condemn and denounce this,” he said.

Referring to a phone conversation with Akhtaruzzaman after a case was filed against him, Shafiqur said he asked him whether they should seek anticipatory bail.

“He told me in a very firm voice, ‘I have done nothing wrong, so I will not surrender,'” he said.

He said Akhtaruzzaman also told him, “I want to be arrested. I want the 18 crore people of Bangladesh to see that I have been arrested for protesting.”

Shafiqur said Akhtaruzzaman himself asked for handcuffs after members of the Detective Branch went to arrest him but did not put them on him.

He said Akhtaruzzaman’s advocacy for expatriate Bangladeshis should not be taken lightly.

“I am warning the government, you cannot, you do not have the capacity, you cannot even ensure healthcare at a medical centre, yet it was demolished in the dead of night and all its assets were looted,” he said.

Shafiqur alleged that those responsible were captured on CCTV footage and that elected representatives remained behind the scenes while supporting and leading them.

He criticised the government for not taking action against those allegedly involved, saying an individual was made to resign as a lawmaker to create an impression before the public, but has not yet been expelled from the party or arrested.

He also said other alleged perpetrators have not been arrested.

“Do not consider the people fools or blind. If each of you has two eyes, the people also have two eyes. They see everything clearly. You cannot hide anything,” he said.

“Now is not the time for hiding. Everything reaches the people’s doorstep within moments,” he added.

Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman was placed on a one-day remand yesterday in a case filed over alleged disorder and obstruction of government work at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The Detective Branch arrested Akhtaruzzaman at his residence near the cantonment in the capital on Friday (2 October).

According to the case statement, 34 Jamaat representatives and their families had arrived in Dhaka from Medina on Thursday (1 October). The case says some protocol assistants allegedly tried to collect trolleys by breaking the queue, while passengers became agitated over delays in receiving luggage and Zamzam water.

It also alleges that he used abusive language, threatened an airport executive director and was involved in an altercation with a security officer.