Mufti Izhar still eludes arrest

Mufti Izharul Islam Chowdhury, the prime suspect of a madrasa explosion in Chittagong's Lalkhan Bazar, has evaded arrest for a year. Police say they have no idea of the Hifazat-e Islam leader's whereabouts. Although they claim that efforts are on to nab Izhar, who was Principal of the madrasa where the blast happened, nothing more than a couple of raids have been noticed. Although an official acknowledged that all was not normal with the conduct of the case, Banaj Kumar Majumder, additional commissioner (crime and operation) of CMP, refuses to accept the fact. "Police have been trying to nab Mufti Izhar," he said. "We are serious." An explosion took place at the Jamayetul-Ulum-Al Islamia Madrasa at the city's Lalkhan Bazar on October 7 in 2013. The blast shattered the third floor of the hostel and left three dead and some injured. Police filed three cases over the incident under Homicide, Explosive and Acid Acts in which nine people were accused. That included Izhar, his son Mufti Harun, three other madrasa teachers and two students, according to a news agency.