Bangladesh to charge 1971 war veteran 15 others under terror law

Bangladesh police said it would lodge cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act against a prominent 1971 Liberation War veteran and 15 others hours after they were "rescued" from a mob during a public discussion. "A process is underway to lodge cases against the 16 detainees. They are now under the custody of the Detective Branch (DB)," Bangladesh's national daily Prothom Alo said quoting Dhaka Police's Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam. Police said former minister and 1971 war veteran Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Dhaka University law professor Hafizur Rahman Curzon, journalist Manjurul Alam Panna, several freedom fighters, former bureaucrats and others were charged under the tough Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009.

The announcement came nearly 11 hours after Dhaka Police Deputy Commissioner Masud Alam said the group was taken into custody to "protect them from public unrest" and a decision on the "next course" would follow. The 16 were targeted on Thursday when they gathered for a public discussion titled 'Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh', organised by the newly formed veterans' platform 'Moncho 71' at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium. The mob called the organisers and participants of the event "accomplices of the fascist regime" of the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and alleged they rallied there to conspire against last year's student-led movement, dubbed as the 'July Uprising'.

'Moncho 71' platform was launched earlier this month, announcing that it would uphold the "1971 Liberation War, Bangladesh's founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the 1972 Constitution, the national flag and the national anthem". The group that came storming the auditorium identified themselves as the 'July warriors' as they tore down the banner of the discussion. They allegedly assaulted some of the participants chanting slogans such as "Let the weapon of July roar again", "Catch a league (Awami Leaguer), send him to jail" and "July warriors would not allow any such conspiracy to be hatched".