Peaceful hartal over Faruqi murder

An eight-hour hartal passed off peacefully across the country Sunday at the joint call of Islami Chhatra Sena and Bangladesh Islami Front to protest the killing of Ahle Sunnat leader Shaikh Nurul Islam Faruqi.
Vehicular movement was normal in the capital city during the strike that began at 6am and ended at 2pm.
Islami Chhatra Sena central President Nurul Islam Chishti claimed at a press conference that police and Jamaat-Shibir supporters attacked the activists of Chhatra Sena while observing the hartal.
He said: "More than 50 activists were injured in the attacks. Police also arrested around 100 activists of Islami Chhatra Sena."
Chishti threatened that they would go for tougher movement if the real culprits were not arrested.
He urged the government not to stage any 'drama' over the arrest of the real criminals.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court on Sunday afternoon placed on two days remand to two persons, one a woman, for their alleged involvement in the murder of Faruqi.
The remanded persons are Mahmuda Khatun and Md Shariful Islam. On Saturday, police detained the two from Murapara area of Narayanganj's Rupganj.
Mahmuda allegedly had introduced herself as Asma and met the Islamic scholar several hours before the murder Wednesday 'only to see him'.
On August 27, unidentified armed assailants slaughtered Faruqi, also a presenter of religious programmes on Channel i, at his residence in the capital's east Rajabazar area.
The deceased was presidium member and international affairs secretary of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat - an organisation known for opposing the views of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Apart from anchoring the 'Shantir Pothe' and 'Kafela' programmes on Channel i, he owned Faruque Tours and Travels Private Limited, a Hajj travel agency, and served as the imam of the Supreme Court Mosque.
During the hartal hours, witnesses said, Chhatra Sena activists brought out a pro-hartal procession in Baitul Mukarram National Mosque area around 8am. Police obstructed the procession and dispersed the pickets.
The pro-hartal activists also brought out processions in the capital's Adabor, Shamoli, East Rajabazar and Motijheel areas in the morning.