Bangla Bhai Syndrome in Bangladesh: Is it Vigilantism or Jehadi terrorism?

Bangladesh represents the triumph of Bengali nationalism over the two-nation theory. And India made a signal contribution in its creation by sacrificing thousands of its soldiers in its battlefields in 1971. But it should not be forgotten that in the 40s its leaders pleaders played a key role in the creation of Pakistan. After all, it was also the more populous part of Pakistan till three decades ago. So like all siblings it also carries a few genes of its ‘mother country’ – Pakistan. These include three dangerous components among other innocuous ones –

· An influential section of society subscribing to the anti-Indian rhetoric of Pakistan-days,

· A military that grabs power when an opportunity arises (they have done it twice and ruled the country for 13 years, with some sugar-coating of ‘limited’ democracy) and

· Die-hard fundamentalist Islamic elements that include political parties like Jamaat-e-Isami (JeI) and Islami Oikyo Jote (IOJ) and their militant student arms.

As these are part of the Bangladesh’s socio-political scene, successive Indian Governments have been ‘grinning and bearing it’. These three elements have successfully scuttled the full blooming of India-Bangladesh relations, exploiting the issues between the two countries for furthering their own political, ideological, militarist or religious agenda. Only a brief period of Awami League rule from 1996-2001 saw a warming up of the relations between the two countries.

Being one of the most populous Muslim countries, in the post 9/11 scenarios, Jehadi elements have increasingly become active Bangladesh (SAAG Paper No 1031 dated June 18, 2004). This by itself is a dangerous development for India’s national security as for decades insurgency groups from the North East have found refuge and support Bangladesh territory. So the Jehadi elements have only to link up with these insurgent and extremist groups to carry out terrorist activities in Eastern and Northeastern India. Given the geographical proximity of vital Indian communication links to Bangladesh border, such activities can paralyze normal life in as many as eight states of India.

There are series of overt developments over a period of time in Bangladesh that is even more disturbing because they appear to be having official acquiescence. These are-

· J-e-I and IOJ are ruling coalition partners. Two senior ministers of the present cabinet - Matiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Mujahid - were directly involved in the floating in 1991 Al Badar and Al Shams - two infamous groups of armed extremists who killed a large number of Bangladeshi intellectuals branding them as anti-Islamic for their pro-independence stance. They are well known admirers of Taliban and what it stands for. Through thousands of madrassas and khoumi madrassas funded by Saudi outfits for years they have been rousing fundamentalist passions among the poor and the downtrodden.

· Media reports reveal that in Aug 2003, documents recovered by the police in an encounter with a banned Islamist outfit Jama'atul Mujahidin (JuM), revealed a strategy prepared by Islamist elements to develop an ‘Islamic militant network’. One of those who escaped from the Police in the clash was Moulana Abdur Rahman (now the 'Emir' of the Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh). Interestingly, the clash occurred when the police had gone to inquire about the presence of JuM cadres at the house of a local Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) leader, Montezar Rahman in Joypurhat.

· The Islamic vigilante group called Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) came to the fore since April 2004. JMJB has become active in the districts of Rajshahi, Naogaon, Natore, Joypurhat, Rangpur and Bogra. One of its leading lights - Siddiqul Islam a.k.a. Bangla Bhai is the point’s man of the militant outfit. Bangla Bhai, a member of the JMJB governing body, the Shura, and designated as the anti-Sarbahara commander, had been hogging the media by his groups brazen attack on elements of Maoist extremists known collectively as Sarbahara. The Sarbahara extremists had become active during last year in Western Bangladesh, eliminating local leaders of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The disturbing aspect is that the JMJB is a votary of extremist Islamic leaders and scholars. According to the press interview given by JMJB leaders it follows the militant ideals of the Taliban and spearheads a movement based on jihad in the Northwest.

· The more damaging information is the open association of local police with JMJB vigilante groups. BNP’s local leaders have also been seen at JMJB meetings.

· Moulana Abdur Rahman, the Emir of JMJB is said to have started his political career with the Islami Chhatra Shibir the student wing of J-e-I. He was a student of Madina Islami University in Saudi Arabia and later reported to have worked at the Saudi embassy in Dhaka.

· A developing nexus of J-e-I, JMJB, and elements of BNP is emboldening the vigilante activities of JMJB. Its anti-Maoist activities have given JMJB certain legitimacy in the eyes of the public as Maoist extremism was causing concern to them.

· JMJB can graduate from vigilantism to jehadi terrorism when it chooses to do so, using JMJB’s wide network.

· JMJB’s vigorous activity in Northwestern Bangladesh gives it the ability to sponsor or spearhead terrorist activities in Indian North East.

· JMJB’s international linkages with elements sympathetic to the Islamists make it even more dangerous.

Bangladesh Government is fully aware of these activities. But thanks to its alliance with rightwing parties like J-e-I in the ruling coalition, it would be unrealistic to expect it do little more than assurance of action on paper. Therefore, Government of India and the eight states of the East and Northeast need to tighten up anti-infiltration measures along the Bangladesh border. The new dispensation in Delhi needs to tell the Bangladesh Government in no uncertain terms that enough is enough. After all, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister Mr Morshed Khan during his visit to Delhi had said, “We have decided to talk to each other and shall not pursue the issues through the normal course of note verbal. We have also decided not to keep the issues under the carpet.” So why not roll up the carpet?

Col R Hariharan retired from the Intelligence Corps after 28 years of service in the Army. He had taken part in the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. He had been a specialist in counter-insurgency intelligence. He had seen active staff and field service in counter-insurgency operations in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab,Tripura and lastly in Sri Lanka with the IPKF as Head of Intelligence.