Iqbal, 3 others again on 3-day remand

A Cumilla court on Wednesday placed Iqbal Hossain and three others again on a three-day remand in a case filed over desecration of Quran at a temporary Puja mandao in Cumilla’s Nanuwar Dighir Par.

Judge of the Cumilla Senior Judicial Magistrate Court-1, Chandan Kanti Nath passed the order when police produced them before the court with five-day remand prayer, said Khan Kohammad Rezwan, police super of Cumilla Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The other accused of the case are Ikram Hossain, Humayun Ahmed and Foysal Ahmed.

Earlier on October 29, Iqbal and three others accused in a case of desecration of Quran were remanded for five days, allowing police to further quiz them.

Iqbal and three others – Ekram, who called 999 after the incident, and Daroga Bari shrine caretakers Humayun Kabir and Faisal – need to be questioned further as they have started disclosing facts, Rezwan said.

The previous seven-day remand ended Friday.

Police handed over the Quran desecration case against Iqbal and three others to the CID on October 24.

Police filed a case with Cumilla Kotwali Police Station on October 13 against unnamed people for “besmirching the Quran and hurting religious sentiments,” said Cumilla Additional Superintendent of Police M Tanvir Ahmed.

On October 23, Iqbal, Ekram, Humayun Kabir, and Faisal were placed on a seven-day remand.

The prime accused Iqbal was held from Cox’s Bazar beach on October 21. He was then taken to the Cumilla Police Lines the next day.

On October 13 Iqbal placed the Quran on the lap of an idol at the mandap. Ekram called the national emergency helpline “999” to report the “desecration of the holy scripture.” The incident also went viral on Facebook.

It led to violence and attacks on temples and vandalisation of houses and businesses of the Hindu community in several districts, including Cumilla, Chandpur, Noakhali, Chattogram and Rangpur, leaving at least eight people dead and many injured. Of the dead, five were Muslims rioters who died in police firing.

Police identified Iqbal, the prime suspect of the Cumilla puja venue incident, on October 20 after scrutinising the footage of several CCTV cameras.

In footage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, Iqbal could be seen taking the Quran from a local mosque and entering a Durga Puja site.

He is later seen walking away with a mace, taken from an idol of Lord Hanuman.

A few moments later he was not seen with the mace. He was also seen entering the shrine. Iqbal said he threw the mace into a pond.