Jamaat prepares for showdown on 30 Dec as police say 'will show zero tolerance'

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is gearing up for a big showdown on 30 December, the day the main opposition BNP and its political allies will hold anti-government mass processions in the capital.

According to Jamaat sources, the party has already held a preliminary meeting in this regard in which its leaders and activists across the country have been ordered to arrive in the capital ahead of the programme.

Police also stand ready and "will show zero tolerance" against Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir if they bring out any procession in Dhaka, several sources from the Police Headquarters and district-level police confirmed The Business Standard.

An additional deputy inspector general of the Police Headquarters, requesting anonymity, told TBS that they have received intelligence about Jamaat's planning of subversive activities across the country. 

"In some places, they [Jamaat] launched attacks on policemen. In response, police also detained several leaders and activists of the party and filed a few cases in Chattogram, Lakshmipur, Noakhali, Kishoreganj, Joypurhat, Bagerhat and a few other places," the official said, adding that law enforcers have also seized crude bombs from the possessions of Jamaat men.

On 24 December, Jamaat joined the BNP's countrywide simultaneous movement by bringing out their own processions, ignoring all obstacles.

The grassroots-level leaders and activists of Jamaat are now willing to wage a tougher anti-government programme, alongside the BNP.

A former central leader of the Chhatra Shibir and current leader of Dhaka unit Jamaat, wishing not to be named, told TBS, "If everything goes according to plan, Jamaat will be on the streets on 30 December with the best preparations in history." 

According to reports published by several media outlets, Jamaat Central Working Council Member Maulana Abdul Mannan, at a virtual meeting of Dhaka South unit of Jamaat on Sunday, told the leaders and activists, "Oppression is inevitable. Even the prophets and messengers [of Allah] were not spared from oppression but had to accept martyrdom. Therefore, everyone has to play an active role in the field by facing all kinds of fear, oppression and torture.

"Everyone must use all their strength to shore up the ongoing mass movement aimed at overthrowing this illegal government."

In response to a question about whether Chhatra Shibir will be present on Dhaka streets on 30 December, a central leader of Chhatra Shibir, on condition of anonymity, told TBS, "Chhatra Shibir will be on the ground with full preparation to tackle any obstacles.

However, it will participate in the programme under the banner of Jamaat and not under the banner of Chhatra Shibir." 

Joined by the Jamaat-e-Islami, Ganatanra Mancho, the 12-party alliance, LDP and others, the BNP on 24 December staged mass processions across the country to press home its 10-point demand which includes the immediate resignation of the government, elections under a nonpartisan caretaker government, as well as the release of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and other senior leaders. 

Expressing solidarity with the BNP, Jamaat also demanded the release of its Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman, who was arrested from his Bashundhara residence on 13 December and later was shown arrested in a case lodged under the Anti-Terrorism Act with the capital's Jatrabari Police Station. 

Almost all the processions led by Jamaat on Saturday faced police obstruction and dozens of their leaders and activists were detained, on charges of planning sabotage or subversive activities.

Maulana ATM Masum, the acting secretary general of Jamaat, in a statement last Saturday said, "During this orderly and peaceful protest march, the police opened fire and attacked us all over the country, injuring about 100 leaders and activists while arresting about 200." 

To protest the police brutality and to make the simultaneous movement successful, the entire nation has united against this tyrannical government, the Jamaat leader said.

According to police and local sources, 16 Jamaat leaders and activists were detained in Satkhira, 12 in Joypurhat, 12 in Noakhali, 11 in Dinajpur, 8 in Natore and 24 in Cumilla. Also, a case has been filed against 271 Jamaat activists in Lakshmipur over the 24 December clash. 

The Islamist party last flexed its muscles when its top leaders were being executed in cases of war crimes. Before and after the 2014 national elections, Jamaat also started an anti-government movement with the BNP. 

However, after that movement failed, Jamaat was not seen in the field until recently. Even during the 2018 elections, the party could not make moves in the political arena due to strict government crackdowns.

Jamaat leaders said although the party was in the field alongside the BNP during the 2014 and 2018 elections, their movement failed to gain momentum as the BNP could not hold its ground. But for the past few months, BNP has been very active in the political field which triggered Jamaat to stand beside the BNP.

Ehsanul Mahbub Zobair, the ameer of Sylhet Metropolitan Jamaat, told TBS, "We are now fully active in the field to protest all the irregularities of the government, the rising prices of goods."

Mahfuzur Rahman, a shura member of the Central Majlis of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and ameer of Khulna city Jamaat, said, "The current illegal government has established a dictatorship in the country but we are still here to establish democracy. We will stage simultaneous programmes to free the people from the hands of oppressors. I believe this government will fall in the face of mass movements."