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Lutfozzaman Babar

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Lutfuzzaman Babar
লুৎফুজ্জামান বাবর
Babar in 2005
Minister of State for Home Affairs
In office
10 October 2001 – 29 October 2006
Preceded byMohammed Nasim
Succeeded bySohel Taj
Member of Parliament
In office
5 March 1991 – 24 November 1995
Preceded byDewan Shahjahan Eaar Chowdhury
Succeeded byAbdul Momin
ConstituencyNetrokona-4
In office
28 October 2001 – 27 October 2006
Preceded byAbdul Momin
Succeeded byRebecca Momin
ConstituencyNetrokona-4
Personal details
Born (1958-10-10) 10 October 1958 (age 66)
Netrokona, East Pakistan, Pakistan
NationalityBangladeshi
Political partyBangladesh Nationalist Party
SpouseTahmina Zaman Shravani
Children
  • Labib
  • Tasfia

Lutfozzaman Babar (Template:Lang-bn, born 10 October 1958) is former Bangladeshi politician, who served as the State Minister of Home Affairs in the Khaleda Zia Cabinet from 2001 to 2006, as a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).[1]

Babar was the youngest member in the cabinet of BNP-Jamaat led coalition government, and received media and public attraction alike due to his alternative clothing style, spike-cut hair, and various quips. He was also among the pioneers in forming the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite force widely criticized for extra-judicial killings.[2] Babar was a powerful politician within the inner circles of the BNP, due to his proximity to Tarique Rahman. However, throughout his tenure as a politician, Babar was accused of being involved in various crimes and illegal activities.[1]

Babar is currently serving his sentence in prison for capital punishment (death penalty) in two cases – one in January 2014 on charges of 2004 arms smuggling in Chittagong, and the other in October 2018 for killing through criminal conspiracy at the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack, which was also manipulated by the former ruling party.[3][4] He was also sentenced to a further 8 years in prison on 12 October 2021 on cases of corruption.[5] On 12th September 2024, Babar gets bail in four cases including ex-finance minister Shah AMS Kibria murder case and murder attempt of former minister Suranjit Sen Gupta.[6]

Early life and career

Babar was born in a wealthy Bengali Muslim family with origins from remote Netrokona. His father was senior officer of the Bangladesh Police who was a part of the then-President Ziaur Rahman's security team, and as such, had personal connections to Zia and his wife Khaleda Zia.[1] Babar grew up in the neighborhood of Maghbazar in the capital Dhaka. He is either a secondary school graduate (class 9–10) or a college graduate (class 11–12).[7][1][8]

By the 1980s, under the dictatorship of Hussain Muhammad Ershad, Babar made a fortune through the illicit smuggling of Casio digital watches.[2] Due to this, he was popularly known as "Casio Babar".[9] By 1996, he managed to wash-off his criminal past, and joined the central committee of Bangladesh Nationalist Party through lobbying and became a lawmaker from Netrokona-4 constituency.[7]

Babar was elected to parliament twice from Netrokona-4 constituency during 1991–1996 and 2001–2006.[10] In 2001, he was appointed as the Minister of State for Home Affairs as the youngest member of the Khaleda Zia Cabinet.[11]

After the 2005 Netrokona bombing, Babar initially blamed the attack on a Hindu man, Yadav Das, who was killed in the explosion. However, on 15 December 2005, he rescinded his statement and said Yadav was innocent.[12][13][14]

On 27 December 2008, Babar was expelled from BNP after contesting the 2008 Bangladeshi general election as an independent candidate despite being in prison.[15] In December 2009, BNP withdrew the expulsion order against him and reinstated him in the party.[16]

Charges and convictions

Illegal firearms and ammunitions

During the 2007 state of emergency in Bangladesh, Babar was arrested from his Gulshan residence on 28 May for possessing illegal firearms.[16] On 30 October, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for keeping a revolver illegally and another 7 years for keeping 25 rounds of bullets illegally. He was found guilty by a special tribunal set up by the caretaker government.[17] On 1 December 2008, he lost his division status in the prison after he had been caught twice in possession of contraband cellphones.[18]

Grenade attack

The 2004 Dhaka grenade attack on 21 August on an Awami League rally killed Ivy Rahman, wife of future President Zillur Rahman, along with 23 others and wounded more than 300 people.[19] According to the April 2011 confessional statements by the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HUJI) leader Mufti Abdul Hannan, upon his request, Tarique Rahman, then senior joint secretary general of BNP, assigned Babar, then state home minister, and Abdus Salam Pintu, then deputy industries minister, to provide assistance to the HUJI men to carry out the attack.[19] Hannan met Babar among others in a meeting in Hawa Bhaban, the political office of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.[19] On 18 August 2004, three days before the attack, the HUJI leaders met Babar at the residence of Pintu.[20] In March 2012, a Dhaka court framed charges against 30 accused, including Babar, in the supplementary charge sheet of the case.[20][21] According to the charges, Babar and Pintu assured all administrative assistance regarding the attack.[20] Also Maulana Tajuddin, supplier of the grenades, also a brother of Pintu, left Bangladesh for Pakistan on instructions from Babar.[22] On 10 October 2018, Babar was given death penalty on charges of killing through criminal conspiracy.[4] He had appealed the verdict.[23]

Chittagong arms haul

Main article: 2004 arms and ammunition haul in Chittagong

On 1 April 2004, Bangladesh Police and Bangladesh Coast Guard interrupted a loading of 10 trucks and seized illegal arms and ammunitions at a jetty of Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL) on the Karnaphuli River.[24] Babar, the then state home minister, visited the area the next day to inspect the seized arms.[24]

After the 2008 Bangladeshi general election, when Awami League formed the government, fresh investigation started on this case. On 30 September 2010, in a statement to a Chittagong court, Sabbir Ali, the then-police commissioner of Chittagong metropolitan police, said that Babar directed him not to arrest National Security Intelligence officials engaged in helping offload arms and ammunition at the jetty on 2 April 2004. on 3 October, Babar was arrested for direct involvement in that arms haul.[25][26] On 15 March 2012, former Directorate General of Forces Intelligence chief Sadik Hasan Rumi told Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal-1 that Babar might have links to the smuggling of the arms since Babar forbade him not to conduct an independent investigation into the incident following the seizure.[27]

On 30 January 2014, Babar was sentenced to death for his role in the case.[3]

Others

Babar was sued by the Anti-Corruption Commission for hiding information about wealth worth about Tk 7.6 crore in the wealth statement.[28] On 16 September 2008, he was granted bail on the case.[29] He was among the 32 people charged with the killing of former finance minister Shah A M S Kibria in January 2005.[30]

Shah A M S Kibria murder case

On January 27, 2005, former finance minister Shah A M S Kibria was severely injured in a grenade attack on his way out after attending an Eid post-celebration rally of the Awami League in Baidyer Bazar, Habiganj Sadar Upazila. He died on the way to Dhaka. His nephew Shah Manjurul Huda, local Awami League leaders Abdur Rahim, Abul Hossain, and Siddiq Ali were also killed in the attack. Seventy others were injured. On the day after the incident, Abdul Majid Khan, who was the then Organizing Secretary of the District Awami League and former Member of Parliament, filed a murder case, while the police filed another case under the Explosive Substances Control Act. Later, both cases were transferred to the CID. Upon investigation, on March 18, 2005, the CID submitted the first charge sheet to the court, accusing 10 people, including Abdul Kaiyum, the Central President of the Shaheed Zia Memorial and Research Council.[31] However, the plaintiffs filed a no-confidence petition against the charge sheet in court. In 2007, the case was handed back to the CID for reinvestigation. In the second phase, on June 20, 2011, the charge sheet was submitted against 26 people, increasing the number of accused by 16. The plaintiffs also raised objections to this. Later, on November 13, 2014, the fifth investigating officer of the case, Meherunnesa Parul, who was then the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of Sylhet region, submitted a supplementary charge sheet to the court.[32] This charge sheet newly accused 35 people, including Babar, the late Haris Chowdhury, the then political secretary to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, former mayor of Sylhet Ariful Haque Choudhury and former mayor of Habiganj GK Gaus.[33][34]

Suranjit Sengupta attempt to murder case

Bail

On September 13, 2024, Lutfozzaman Babar was granted bail in two cases related to the murder of former Finance Minister Shah A.M.S. Kibria and two cases related to the attempted murder of former Railways Minister Suranjit Sengupta.

His quote "উই আর লুকিং ফর শত্রু" (We are looking for enemies) gained popularity among the social masses and is often used in Bangladeshi popular culture and online memes.[7][35]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Ahmed, Imam; Liton, Shakhawat; Karim, Rezaul (12 October 2018). "21 August Attack: Babar-nama". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b Azad, M Abul Kalam (26 December 2008). "Business of Babar unknown". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Babar released on parole to attend mother's janaza". The Daily Star. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  4. ^ a b "August 21 attack: 'State-backed crime' punished". The Daily Star. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  5. ^ "লুৎফুজ্জামান বাবর: দুর্নীতির মামলায় সাবেক স্বরাষ্ট্র প্রতিমন্ত্রী ও বিএনপি নেতার আট বছরের কারাদণ্ড". BBC News (Bangla) (in Bengali). 12 October 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  6. ^ Report, Star Digital (12 September 2024). "Babar gets bail in four cases including Kibria murder". The Daily Star. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c M Abul Kalam Azad (30 January 2014). "From Casio to arms". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  8. ^ "গ্রেনেড হামলা: জন্মদিনে মৃত্যুদণ্ডের আদেশ হলো বাংলাদেশের সাবেক প্রতিমন্ত্রী লুৎফুজ্জামান বাবরের". BBC News (Bangla). BBC. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. ^ Ahmed, Inam; Liton, Shakhawat (11 October 2018). "Crown to crime". The Daily Star. Retrieved 16 August 2024. He (Tarique Rahman) found a state minister for home in Lutfozzaman Babar who had a murky past and popularly known as Casio Babar because of his alleged link to smuggling of watches.
  10. ^ "List of 8th Parliament Members". Bangladesh Parliament. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Bangladesh: Babar & his magic stick". Asian Tribune. 15 June 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Babar takes U-turn to term Yadav innocent". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  13. ^ Das, Bishawjit. "Yadav was coaxed to go to the spot". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  14. ^ "Netrokona blast: Who's suicide bomber?". bdnews24.com. 9 December 2005. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Babar expelled from BNP". The Daily Star. 27 December 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  16. ^ a b "BNP takes Babar back". The Daily Star. 19 December 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Former Bangladesh minister jailed". BBC News. 30 October 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Babar stripped of division status in jail". The Daily Star. 1 December 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  19. ^ a b c "Mufti Hannan revealed Hawa Bhaban plot". The Daily Star. 4 February 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  20. ^ a b c "Tarique, Babar indicted". The Daily Star. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  21. ^ "'Jamaat, BNP colluded with militants' to carry out grenade attack on Awami League rally". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  22. ^ "Babar, Salam helped Huji execute plot". The Daily Star. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  23. ^ "21 Aug grenade attacks: Time to approve death sentences". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  24. ^ a b সেই বাবর আর এই বাবর. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 31 January 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  25. ^ "Babar now accused". The Daily Star. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  26. ^ "Babar denied bail in Ctg arms haul case". The Daily Star. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  27. ^ "Babar prevented DGFI probe". The Daily Star. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  28. ^ "Business of Babar unknown". The Daily Star. 26 December 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  29. ^ "Sheikh Selim, Abbas, Babar granted bail". The Daily Star. 16 September 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  30. ^ "Kibria murder: Suspended Sylhet mayor Ariful gets bail". The Daily Star. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  31. ^ "Ten charged with Bangladesh murder". BBC. 21 March 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  32. ^ "কিবরিয়া হত্যা মামলার বিচার প্রক্রিয়া কতোদূর". banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 27 January 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  33. ^ "Sylhet mayor Ariful walks out of jail". The Daily Star. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  34. ^ "Habiganj municipality mayor Gaus suspended again". The Daily Star. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  35. ^ Wasif, Faruk (10 August 2016). "আবার 'উই আর লুকিং ফর শত্রুজ'?". Prothom Alo. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
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