DB arrests Hefajat’s associate publicity secretary Sharifullah

A team of detective branch of police (Wari Division) have arrested Mufti Sharifullah, assistant publicity secretary of Hefajat-e-Islam's central committee from Mir Hazirbagh area of Jatrabari today.

Based on information, the DB team conducted a drive around 7:30 pm and made the arrest, Azharul Islam Mukul, additional deputy commissioner of DB police, told reporters.

Mufti Sharifullah is an accused in the case filed under the Special Powers Act at Jatrabari Police Station on May 6, 2013.

"We will produce the arrestee before court tomorrow in the case filed in 2013," he added.

On May 5, 2013, thousands of members of Hefajat, a Qawmi madrasa-based Islamist organisation, clashed with law enforcers and ruling AL men, turning Motijheel and Paltan areas into a battlefield.

They set fire to hundreds of shops, vehicles and police outposts and looted stores, including those with Islamic books. Clashes also took place in different other districts in the following couple of days.

A total of 83 cases were filed in seven districts including in Dhaka, accusing 3,416 named and 84,796 unnamed people. Many of the accused were from Hefajat, Jamaat-e-Islam and the BNP.

Only one of the cases has been disposed of, in Bagerhat. All the accused were acquitted as neither the police nor the prosecutors could prove them guilty of the charges of attempted murder, arson and vandalism, officials said.

Police have pressed charges in 18, and gave final reports in two other cases. Investigations of the 62 have been stalled.

Several police officials requesting anonymity said the government's lack of interest in moving forward with the cases was a reason why the investigations went into hibernation.