Lutfozzaman Babar is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Bangladeshi
State Minister of Home Affairs in the
Khaleda Zia Cabinet, as a member of the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
. He is currently in prison for the death penalties in two cases – in January 2014 on charges of
2004 arms smuggling in Chittagong and in October 2018 for killing through criminal conspiracy at the
2004 Dhaka grenade attack.
Early life and career
Babar is originated from
Netrokona
Netrokona ( bn, নেত্রকোনা) is a major town and District headquarter in Netrokona District in the division of Mymensingh. It is the largest town and urban centre of Netrokona District
Netrokona ( bn, নেত্রকোণ ...
. He joined the central committee of
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...
in 1996.
Babar was elected to parliament twice from
Netrokona-4 constituency during 1991–1996 and 2001–2006. In 2001, he was appointed as the
State Minister of Home Affairs as the youngest member of the Khaleda Zia Cabinet.
After the
2005 Netrokona bombing, Babar first blamed the attack on a Hindu man, Yadav Das, who was killed in the explosion but on 15 December 2005, he rescinded his statement and said Yadav was innocent.
On 27 December 2008, Babar was expelled from BNP after contesting the
2008 Bangladeshi general election
General elections were held in Bangladesh on 29 December 2008. The two main parties in the election were the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, and the Bangladesh Awami League Party, led by Sheikh Hasina. The Bangladesh Awa ...
as an independent candidate while in prison. In December 2009, BNP withdrew the expulsion order against him and reinstated him in the party.
[
]
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. 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
A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...
. On 1 December 2008, he lost his division status in the prison after he had been caught twice in possession of contraband cellphones.
Grenade attack
The 2004 Dhaka grenade attack on 21 August on an Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
rally killed Ivy Rahman
Ivy Rahman ( bn, আইভি রহমান;; 7 July 1934 – 24 August 2004) was a Bangladeshi politician. She was the Women's Affairs secretary of Awami League. She was killed in the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack.
Career
Rahman was the foundi ...
, wife of future President Zillur Rahman
Mohammed Zillur Rahman (9 March 1929 – 20 March 2013) was the President of Bangladesh from 2009 to 2013. He was also a senior presidium member of the Awami League. He is the third president of Bangladesh, after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ziau ...
, along with 23 others and wounded more than 300 people.[ According to the April 2011 confessional statements by the ]Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami ( ar, حركة الجهاد الإسلامي, ''Ḥarkat al-Jihād al-Islāmiyah'', meaning "Islamic Jihad Movement", HuJI) is a Pakistani Islamic fundamentalist Jihadist organisation affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Talib ...
(HUJI) leader Mufti Abdul Hannan
Mufti Abdul Hannan (died 12 April 2017) was a Bangladeshi terrorist and the chief of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami Bangladesh, Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami Bangladesh. He was sentenced to death by hanging for multiple crimes and executed on 12 April 2017 ...
, upon his request, Tarique Rahman
Tarique Rahman is a Bangladeshi politician who is the current acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since February 2018. He has been residing in London with his family since he left Bangladesh in September 2008.
Early life and ...
, then senior joint secretary general of BNP, assigned Babar, then state home minister, and Abdus Salam Pintu
Abdus Salam Pintu is a Bangladeshi politician. He is a Bangladesh Nationalist Party member and a former deputy Minister for Education. In 2018, he was sentenced to death for involvement in the 2004 Dhaka grenade attack.
Career
Pintu served a ...
, then deputy industries minister, to provide assistance to the HUJI men to carry out the attack. Hannan met Babar among others in a meeting in Hawa Bhaban, the political office of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia
Khaleda Zia (; born Khaleda Khanam Putul in 1945) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Ba ...
.[ On 18 August 2004, three days before the attack, the HUJI leaders met Babar at the residence of Pintu.][ In March 2012, a Dhaka court framed charges against 30 accused, including Babar, in the supplementary charge sheet of the case.] According to the charges, Babar and Pintu assured all administrative assistance regarding the attack.[ Also Maulana Tajuddin, supplier of the grenades, also a brother of Pintu, left Bangladesh for Pakistan on instructions from Babar. On 10 October 2018, Babar was given death penalty on charges of killing through criminal conspiracy.][ He had appealed the verdict.
]
Chittagong arms haul
On 1 April 2004, Bangladesh Police
The Bangladesh Police ( bn, বাংলাদেশ পুলিশ) of the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a law enforcement agency, operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It plays a crucial role in maintaining peace, and enforcement ...
and Bangladesh Coast Guard
The Bangladesh Coast Guard ( bn, বাংলাদেশ কোস্ট গার্ড; BCG) is the maritime law enforcement force of Bangladesh. It is a paramilitary force which is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Its ...
interrupted a loading of 10 trucks and seized illegal arms and ammunitions at a jetty of Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited
Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited is a urea fertilizer company in Chittagong and is owned by the state owned Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation.
History
Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited was built in 1987 in Rangadia, Anwara Upazila, ...
(CUFL) on the Karnaphuli River
Karnaphuli ( bn, কর্ণফুলি ''Kôrnophuli''; also spelt Karnafuli), or Khawthlangtuipui (in Mizo, meaning "western river"), is the largest and most important river in Chattogram and the Chattogram Hill Tracts. It is a wide rive ...
. Babar, the then state home minister, visited the area the next day to inspect the seized arms.[
After the ]2008 Bangladeshi general election
General elections were held in Bangladesh on 29 December 2008. The two main parties in the election were the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, and the Bangladesh Awami League Party, led by Sheikh Hasina. The Bangladesh Awa ...
, when Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people.
The adjective appears in the following proper names:
*Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
*Awami Front, wa ...
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
The Directorate General of National Security Intelligence ( bn, জাতীয় নিরাপত্তা গোয়েন্দা সংস্থা, Jātīẏa nirāpattā gōẏēndā saṅghastha), commonly known as the NSI, is the ...
officials engaged to help offload arms and ammunition at the jetty on 2 April 2004. on 3 October, Babar was arrested for direct involvement in that arms haul. On 15 March 2012, former Directorate General of Forces Intelligence
The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence ( bn, প্রতিরক্ষা গোয়েন্দা মহাপরিদপ্তর), commonly known as DGFI, is the military intelligence agency of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, tas ...
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.
On 30 January 2014, Babar was sentenced to death for his role in the case.[
]
Others
Babar was sued by the Anti-Corruption Commission for hiding information about wealth worth about Tk 7.6 crore in the wealth statement. On 16 September 2008, he was granted bail on the case.
Babar was among the 32 people charged with the killing of former finance minister Shah A M S Kibria
Shah Abu Muhammad Shamsul Kibria (Bengali: শাহ্ আবু মুহাম্মদ শামসুল কিবরিয়া ; 1 May 193127 January 2005), known as SAMS Kibria or Shams Kibria, was a Bangladeshi economist, diplomat ...
in January 2005.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babar, Lutfozzaman
Living people
People from Netrokona District
Bangladesh Nationalist Party politicians
5th Jatiya Sangsad members
8th Jatiya Sangsad members
State Ministers of Home Affairs (Bangladesh)
Bangladeshi politicians convicted of crimes
Year of birth missing (living people)
Bangladeshi male criminals
Prisoners and detainees of Bangladesh