Dhaka: Bangladesh police on Sunday arrested four
students of the prestigious Dhaka University for their
suspected links to Hizb ut-Tahrir, an international Islamist
political party banned last year for "anti-state" activities.
Police and campus sources said inmates of `Surya
Sen` dormitory first detained one of the suspected Tahrir
activists with some "objectionable" leaflets and later three
others were caught based on his statement.
"The university proctor then called police and handed
them over," a campus reporter said.
Founded in Jerusalem in 1953, the outfit launched its
Bangladesh chapter in 2000. While in initial stages it
confined its activities to indoor meetings, subsequently it
was found to be engaged in violent street protests on several
occasions.
Officials said the organisation is banned in 20
countries, including Pakistan and the United States, for
suspected links with militancy. It was the fifth
organisation in Bangladesh to face the ban after Jama`atul
Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), Harkatul Jihad al Islami (HuJI),
Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh and Shahadat-e al Hikma.
Police last month arrested the chief coordinator of
Tahrir`s Bangladesh chapter Mohiuddin Ahmed, a business
administration professor of Dhaka University, on charges of
instigating "subversive activities" in the city. He also faced
two cases over his alleged attempts to reorganise the outfit.
Dhaka University earlier sent Ahmed on "forced
leave" for indefinite period, days after the ban on his
organisation was enforced in October last year to "keep
(Ahmed) him out of the campus to maintain campus peace".
PTI
