Hefazat top leaders are not sued as they were not on spot: IGP

The top leaders of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh have not been named in any of the cases filed over recent mayhem as they were not seen on the spots of the clashes, said Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed.

"But if Hefazat's top leaders are found involved after the investigation, legal action will be taken against them must," the police chief told reporters at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka today.

Benazir Ahmed further said, "Action will be taken against the instigators. The attacks stained the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh's Independence."

Nearly 20,000 people, including 300 identified ones, have been sued in at least 34 cases over a series of violent protests carried by Hefazat-e-Islam in several districts of the country, but no top Hefazat leaders were made accused in any of the cases.

The religious advocacy group's top leaders are believed to have instigated their supporters for vandalism, attacks, and arson during the three-day violent protests, but only some petty local leaders and supporters have been named in a few cases filed in Narayanganj and Dhaka.

At least 14 people were killed and hundreds injured and government and private properties were damaged as the Islamist group locked into sporadic clashes with law enforcement agencies from Friday to Sunday in Chattogram, Brahmanbaria, Dhaka and Narayanganj during their protests and hartal over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bangladesh visit.