JMB, HuJi militants in Jhenidah regrouping

Sources in intelligence agencies and locals said, before the August 17 blasts, over 200 activists including trainers of Harkat-ul-jihad (HuJi) and Allahr Dal, an offshoot of JMB (Jamaa'tul Mujahedin, Bangladesh), were active at different madrasa complexes and mosques in Pabahati, Adarsha Para, Mohila College Para, Hamdah, Sikarpur, Boro amarkundu and Baparipara in Jhenidah municipal area.

They have strongholds also in Modhupur, Kangsha and Bharuapara villages in the Sadar upazila, and in Kashimpur and Bakshipur in Shailakupa upazila, intelligence sources said.

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After recruiting poor youths including madrasa students, JMB under the banner of Allahr Dal, used to train them to use arms and bombs, according to intelligence reports and confessions made by arrested HuJi cadres.

Eleven activists of Allahr Dal were arrested from a madrasa hostel at Arabpur in Jhenidah town on October 20, 2003 when they were taking training from HuJi cadre Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul. Bulbul escaped during the raid. All the 11 were later released.

On November 18, police arrested Bulbul from Garaganj Bazar in Shailakupa upazila. Bulbul hailed from Bakshipur in the same upazila. He used to stay at his father-in-law's house at Garaganj village and ran JMB activities, working as a tailor in Garaganj market, locals said.

"In last three years, HuJi top leader Mufti Abdul Hannan several times met Bulbul and police were informed about this, but to no effect', a Union Parishad member in Garaganj told this correspondent during his visit to the area on Friday. He had left the area immediately after the August 17 blasts but returned after some days, the UP member claimed seeking anonymity.

Talking to The Daily Star, Jhenidah Police Superintendent Akram Hossain however denied the allegation of police inaction. He said 45 suspected Islamist militants have been listed and six of them arrested.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Jhenidah Sadar police station Md Azizul Huq said they were trying to nab suspected militant cadres and rest of the charge-sheeted accused in the August 17 blast case.

Six bombs went off in different areas of Jhenidah town on August 17.

Police in a raid on August 19 arrested two Allahr Dal members including Tarikul Islam alias Rinku. They were sent to the Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) in Dhaka on September 21 after they gave confessional statements before court.

Acting on their statements, Detective Branch (DB) police in Dhaka on September 3 arrested one of the alleged kingpins of Jhenidah blast Abu Taleb Ansari alias Babul Ansari, a leader of Allahr Dal and security officer at parliament secreteriat. He hailed from Bridgeroad in Gaibandha town.

Another leader of the outlawed outfit named by the arrestees -- Matin Mehedi alias Matinul -- is yet to be netted. He is the son of Enamul Huq of the same area. Matin Mehedi was earlier arrested in Jhenidah on October 20, 2003 along with 10 other suspected militants, but released on bail.

Later, acting on their confession, Jhenidah police also arrested three other militants from Hamdah and Sikarpur area in the town.