Hefazat caused mayhem in Brahmanbaria to push the country backwards: CID DIG

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police Md Habibur Rahman said that Hefazat-e-Islam caused the mayhem in Brahmanbaria to push Bangladesh back.

He made the remarks in response to a question from reporters after inspecting the vandalised Sur Samrat Alauddin Sangeetangon in Brahmanbaria at 10:30 am on Saturday.

The CID is investigating nine of the 55 cases filed in connection with the mayhem in Brahmanbaria. In addition, the CID has been given the task of investigating five of the cases filed in connection with violence caused by madrasa students in Brahmanbaria sadar in 2016.

DIG Habibur Rahman said, "It is not possible for any civilised person to behave in such a manner. This is completely an anti-independence act, and it goes against our history and tradition. I think an anti-independence group acted like this to push Bangladesh back. Those who fuelled the incident, those who planned it, whether they were on the scene or not, must come under the law."

He added, "The district police, CID and PBI are jointly investigating the cases. We are all investigating through coordination. The cases have already been handed over to the investigating officers. They have visited the spots. We are trying to identify the culprits from the video footage."

"Many have already been identified and arrested. No case will be pending, we will move towards settling all cases as soon as possible," he further said.

Activists and supporters of Hefazat-e-Islam staged a massive protest in Brahmanbaria from March 26 to 28 against the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bangladesh. They attacked, vandalised, and set fire on several public and private establishments. 

At least 11 people were killed in three days of clashes with law enforcement agencies. A total of 55 cases have been filed with 414 named accused and more than 35,000 unnamed accused. As of Saturday, police have arrested 398 people.