Police prevent Ctg Jamaat meeting

The police refused to allow the Jamaat–e-Islami to hold ea public meeting in Chittagong on Sunday

It also was prevented from holding a meeting at its own party offices.

Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed was scheduled to attend a public meeting in the port city’s Safa Arcade Community Centre at 3pm.

Jamaat said they were prevented from holding the meeting even after they had taken permission from the authorities.

Kotwali police chief Mohiuddin Mahmud told bdnews24.com that the police had not been informed that Jamaat leader Mojaheed was attending the public meeting.

“We didn’t allow them to hold the meeting so the situation does not become unstable,” he said.

The Jamaat leaders attempted to hold another meeting in the party’s metropolitan office, which is located 50 yards away from the meeting venue, but the police also stopped that meeting taking place as well. About 200 Jamaat leaders and activists had gathered there.

Police personnel were deployed in front of the community centre after the Muktijoddha-Chhatra-Janata announced that they would prevent Mojaheed from attending the meeting, Mahmud said.

MR Azim, organiser of Muktijoddha-Chhatra-Janata, earlier had announced that his organisation would not allow Mojaheed, an alleged war criminal, to attend any meeting in Chittagong. He was also prevented from holding a meeting at the centre.

Jamaat MP Hamidur Rahman Azad told reporters that it would not be good for the country if the Jammat were not allowed to hold meetings.

He said the Jamaat had previously faced obstruction in holding meetings in some other places, but they were at least able to hold meetings in their party offices.

This time they were not even allowed to do that, he said.

Mojaheed faced obstruction in a number of cities including Chapainawabganj, Bogra and Satkhira since the government formed war crime tribunals to prosecute those accused of committing crimes in 1971.

There are allegations of war crimes against a number of Jamaat leaders.