Bomb blast: Teacher-Student's Centre at DU

[Navarene]

This time the target is the students of DU! We are surely in a land of despair now:

At least 16 people including 12 Dhaka University (DU) students were injured as four bombs exploded in a large Valentine's Day crowd in front of the DU Teachers-Students Centre (TSC) last night, creating panic on the entire campus.
Witnesses said three bombs went off one after another just behind the Swoparjito Swadhinata sculpture at the TSC road-island at about 7:45pm when several thousand people, mostly students, were enjoying a Valentine's Day function there.

Another bomb exploded at Hakim Chattar near the central library, hardly 50 yards from the road-island, spreading a panic among the huge crowd at the TSC and the heavily-guarded Ekushey Book Fair at the Bangla Academy.

The injured are DU students Ruby, Deepa, Jahirul Islam Jewel, Rimu, Tuhin, Masum, Amit, Alamgir, Lubna Rashid, Masud, Mostafiz and Pavel, Shaheen of Jagannath College, Shahnewaj Raju of Dhaka College, Saiful Islam of World University, and Alamgir Hossain, a businessman. They were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

Most of them were injured in their legs and hands but none was wounded critically, said doctors at the DMCH.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and the police retrieved three unexploded bombs from the spot which were defused by the police experts.


"We heard a big bang when we were enjoying a friendly debate organised on the occasion of Valentine's Day," said Zakir Hossain, a witness. "Three more blasts followed the first creating a heavy chaos and stampede."

Officials of Rab, deployed on the campus for the security of the month-long book fair, said they rushed towards the central library when the first bomb exploded there. Then came another three blasts in front of the TSC.

Police failed to arrest any-one in connection with the bomb blasts. Assistant Commissioner (Patrol-South) of DMP Mushfiqur Rahman told reporters that they did not find any clue to the explosions.


Witnesses said the huge crowd enjoying the debate organised by Dhaka University Debating Society (Duds) was dispersed within moments while the visitors at the Ekushey Book Fair became panicked by the blasts.

Abdur Rahim, general secretary of Duds, said one of the bombs went off at the corner of the debate stage and two in the audience. But none was hurt seriously because the bombs did not contain splinters.


Security has been beefed up on the DU campus. The police, Rab and other intelligence agencies were patrolling the area since the explosion.


After the incident, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activists last night ousted all the Chhatra League (BCL) men from different dormitories of the university and ransacked dozens of rooms of the BCL activists.


INVESTIGATION
Doctors at the DMCH did not find any splinter in the bodies of the injured while the police said the bombs were made of phosphate powder.

Khan Sayeed Hassan, deputy commissioner (South) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told reporters that the attackers had left the bombs in potato-chips packs and those exploded when somebody stepped on the packs.

Examining the unexploded bombs and evidence, Hassan added: "The bombs were handmade. The attackers used local technology to make those."

Mahbubur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Ramna Police Station, told The Daily Star that they have started investigating the incident.


VC'S VERSION
DU Vice-chancellor Prof SMA Faiz while visiting the injured at the DMCH demanded exemplary punishment of the culprits involved in the attack.


"I have no words to condemn the incident," Prof Faiz told The Daily Star last night, terming the incident a 'heinous crime.'

About the security on the DU campus, he said security would be beefed up 'as much as possible'.


BLAME, COUNTER BLAME
JCD, student wing of the ruling BNP, has blamed Awami League's student front BCL for the bomb attack and demanded arrest of the culprits.

JCD brought out several processions and held a rally at the TSC island immediately after the explosions.

Sultan Salauddin Tuku, convenor of JCD Council Preparation Committee of DU, told The Daily Star last night that BCL carried out the attack to make the political situation 'unstable'.

The BCL, on the contrary, said JCD made the attack in a bid to restrain BCL from arranging processions and rallies on the DU campus.

The BCL also brought out a procession and held a rally at the foot of Aparajeyo Bangla immediately after the incident.

Liaqat Sikder and Nazrul Islam Babu, president and general secretary of BCL, in a statement said the fundamentalist groups inside the government who were opposing Valentine's Day programmes have carried out the attack.

The statement said instant procession by the JCD proves that it was a planned attack. They demanded exemplary punishment of the culprits.

Meanwhile, tension ran high among the students at different dormitories after the JCD activists ransacked eight rooms of BCL workers at Ziaur Rahman Hall.

[AsifTheManRahman]

this country is amazing. simply amazing. it's totally out of hand now.

[Rubayed]

This is again one of those unfortunate events among all that has been going on in BD lately. Its very upsetting but i wouldnt go as far as to say that its totally out of hand! I'm still hopefull about my country and am yet to be a pessimistic.

[Spitfire_x86]

Not hard to guess who was the attacker.

[PoorFan]

Now what is the reaction of those mullah's who chanted near by Bitul Mukarram yesterday,
shouting celebrating Valentine's Day is unislamic and therefore it should be stop?!
I am sure they will remain silent and no remark or comment will be made for this incident.
These mullah's are really getting out of control unless we make them hold responsible what they say often in public.
Recent incidents all over the country is a clear vision that we are surrounded by
these mullah's but yet unable to realize and protest them. I wonder how long it will take before it's too late!

[bdmoderator]

What is happening with this country???

[rafiq]

Originally posted by PoorFan
Now what is the reaction of those mullah's who chanted near by Bitul Mukarram yesterday,
shouting celebrating Valentine's Day is unislamic and therefore it should be stop?!

I thought right wing Hindu fanatics in India were making the same noises. We can finally have communal harmony in the subcontinent when the orthodox right unites, after all they have so much in common.

[Spitfire_x86]

I thought right wing Hindu fanatics in India were making the same noises. We can finally have communal harmony in the subcontinent when the orthodox right unites, after all they have so much in common.

yeah, but if these fantics live together in a city, they will kill themselves by fighting within 1 year.

[rafiq]

Spitfire, I think you are on to something!

[Spitfire_x86]

Originally posted by rafiq
Spitfire, I think you are on to something!

???

[cisco-guy]

"Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB - read BANGLA BHAI), an ultra-militant Islamist outfit, is determined to carry on attacks on all forms of anti-Islamic activity until an Islamic revolution takes place in the country, an arrested JMJB operative told a magistrate here Monday evening." - Daily Star

[cisco-guy]

Here is the full story from Daily Star
http://www.thedailystar.net/2005/02/16/d5021601011.htm


JMJB firm on attacks to herald revolution

Arrested activist confesses to magistrate
Our Correspondent, Bogra

Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), an ultra-militant Islamist outfit, is determined to carry on attacks on all forms of anti-Islamic activity until an Islamic revolution takes place in the country, an arrested JMJB operative told a magistrate here Monday evening.
A band of trained militants is scattered across the country with a mission to bomb cultural programmes, including one on the Valentine's Day, said a source, as JMJB considers such activities as violations of the Islamic Shariah. However he refused to speculate whether Monday's bomb attack on a Valentine's Day party at Dhaka University was carried out by JMJB.

The JMJB operative, Shafiqullah, arrested with explosives in a fellow operative's house on January 16, in his statement given to First Class Magistrate Mostafijur Rahman Mridha also revealed details about a Rajshahi University (RU) teacher, who he said is leading JMJB.

"Dr Asadullah Al Galib, a teacher at the Arabic department of RU, is involved with JMJB and is leading it towards an Islamic revolution," said Shafiqullah, also a member of the JMJB bomb squad.

Dr Galib earlier had denied a similar allegation made by Jama'atul Mujahidin operatives arrested in Natore, saying it was an attempt to frame him.

Our staff correspondent in Natore reports: Seven of the 12 Jama'atul Mujahidin members in their confessional statements to a magistrate here on Monday confirmed that JMJB chief Abdur Rahman Shahi Bhai is their leader too.

They also confessed to their involvement with an Islamic revolutionary movement spearheaded by Dr Galib.

Police and court sources said Farman Ali, one of the arrestees, admitted that he was one of the leaders of Jama'atul Mujahidin in Natore. He said he joined the group in Ramadan at the invitation of Khabbar Ali, Natore district ameer of Mujahidin, adding Dr Galib is the regional leader of the north.

In his statement to the Bogra magistrate, Shafiqullah said Shahi Bhai is the chief of JMJB and Siddiqur Rahman Bangla Bhai his operations commander.

He said he was introduced to Galib and Shahi Bhai at an Islamic function in a Narayanganj graveyard. The three of them discussed JMJB operations including training on bomb attack on 'anti-Islamic' programmes.

Many hard-liners of Ahleh Hadis, another Islamist group, also took training in Narayanganj, he added.

He said, "I was also introduced to Joynal of Gabtoli in Bogra, who was present at the Narayanganj function, and to Hamid, a student of the Rajshahi Uuniversity Arabic department and an active participant in such operations. I used to go there often for training."

According to his statement, JMJB operatives often held meetings at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque and Kakrail Mosque in Dhaka to thrash out their action plans.

He said, "We use bombs that will injure people but not kill them."

Galib and Shahi Bhai also train youths in the hope to send them as fighters to Iraq and Afghanistan, Shafiqullah told the magistrate, adding a horde of students has been trained across the country to work for and participate in the Islamic revolution.

[Shubho]

Why can't RAB kill these guys in crossfires? So many of you were singing their praise, let's see them do something now.

[Fazal]

Originally posted by Shubho
Why can't RAB kill these guys in crossfires?

Now Thats a million Dollar Question.

[tiger_man]

my f****** school got closed coz of this bombing

bloody hell

[bdboy]

F**kinh Hell

[allrounder]

Originally posted by Fazal

Now Thats a million Dollar Question.

the fact is RAB has not killed a single activist of Jamat-e-Islam or any member of any Islamic extremist group till today. This shows there is a some connection between RAB and the tupi-dari parties.

I think we should not ignore all these signs of our country falling into the hands of these Islamic extremist before it is too late.

We underestimated the power of these groups for too long.

[Beamer]

RAB has been busy eliminating the 'tupi-dari" groups major ideological enemy "shorboharas". Police in North bengal actually facilitated the bangla bhai people to kill the commies. Govt. knows very well that people in general won't mind if they killed the outlaws by RAB. By proxy so to speak.

[cisco-guy]

Our current Jamat-BNP Coalition govt. and their propaganda machines have constantly been accusing critics of engaging in anti-state activities and ruining the "image" of the country. Such accusations are authoritarian, despotic and deserve no attention. They would have established the rule of law and employed all means of the state to provide security to all citizens if indeed the authorities were concerned about the image and the goodwill of the country. But again and again they failed miserably.

Bombs blasted on Valentine day while debate was in progress. Is it not
clear who dislike this concept of union of hearts? Bomb exploded at the Udichi cultural function as well as at Pohela Boishakh Mela. Coward Terrorists are killing progressive minded people who favored liberation and Secular Bangladesh. They did the same gruesome crimes by killing the “Bangali Buddhugibis” on Dec. 1971. Al-Badr was the mastermind then. Al-Badr Commander-in-Chief Nizami is now a Minister in Jamat-BNP govt. Huh!

Why is it taking months, years or never ending time limit to reveal who is throwing grenades on peace loving unarmed valentine participants, cultural function participants, political leaders and their followers? Do we know the answer?
Yes, we know.
And, they know.

A nation without any goal can do nothing. All politicians within the ruling party are millionaires. Do they care what’s happening to our beloved country?

However, we just can’t give up our hope. Citizens of Bangladesh need to raise their voice from every corner of the world. Our fathers fought a heroic war against the Razakars and Al-Badrs. We must win this fight against the terrorism, fanatics, anti democratic forces of evil darkness.

Edited on, February 17, 2005, 4:44 PM GMT, by cisco-guy.

[Shubho]

I still think that if anyone can solve this crisis, it is RAB. They are a truly patriotic bunch, fighting everyday to ensure our safety against extremist of whatever hue. They are such strapping young lads, especially with the bandanas tied around their heads. They are beautiful, their families are beautiful. They are intelligent. They are super-smart. They are our saviours. They will surely deliver us from this evil. I love them for what they do for our country. I wish I could help them out in all future 'crossfires'. Only RAB could come up with something as ingenious as 'crossfire deaths'. No other country in the world has this. Just goes to show, how great RAB is. Absolutely unique. At the forefront of security operations here, there, everywhere. They are our supreme brothers. Beautiful, just beautiful. They will surely help us in this time of crisis. RAB, RAB, without you we are nothing!

[Arnab]

To what extent does this RAB resemble Rokkhibahini?