Will surrender if not arrested in Shapla Chattar killing case: Latif Siddique

Former minister Abdul Latif Siddique on Wednesday said if he is not arrested, he will surrender before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) on Sunday or Monday next week in a case over the alleged killings and crimes against humanity surrounding the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in 2013.

He made the statement after appearing before a Dhaka court in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Shahbagh Police Station.

Speaking to journalists, Latif Siddique said, I was informed this morning that a case has been filed with the ICT, and an arrest warrant has also been issued against me in the case filed over the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at the Shapla Chattar.

"If the police do not arrest me, I will surrender before the tribunal on Sunday or Monday," he said, adding that people might think he has gone into hiding and if police arrest him before then, that is a different matter. He also stated that he is ready this time, as he had a bag in his car with notebooks and pens for writing.

According to the case statement in which he appeared before the court, a pro-Liberation War platform named "Moncho 71” emerged on 5 August last year and arranged a roundtable meeting on 28 August at the auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity.

A total of 16 named accused in the case, including Latif Siddique, and 70–80 unidentified individuals participated in the programme, where they allegedly delivered “provocative speeches” and were involved in “anti-state activities.”

The Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana set 7 September as the next date for submission of the investigation report in the case, says his lawyer Golam Rabbani.