Three arrested over attack on Shah Ali shrine in Mirpur, Jamaat members named in case

Police have arrested three suspects following a case filed against more than a hundred members of Jamaat-e-Islami and its affiliate organisations over an attack on the Shah Ali Baghdadi shrine in Dhaka's Mirpur.

Shah Ali Police chief Jahangir Alam said a devotee filed the case Saturday evening, naming nine identified individuals and between 100 and 150 unknown members of Jamaat and its associated platforms.

The three arrestees— identified only by single names as Arman, Russell and Azam— were picked up from different areas of Mirpur based on CCTV footage. The officer, however, could not confirm whether they were named in the complaint.

The case was filed by Reshmi Begum, a woman injured during the attack. Police said their operation to detain remaining suspects is ongoing. Whether the arrestees hold membership in any political party also remains unconfirmed.

The shrine was attacked and vandalised on Thursday night while devotees were gathered for an Urs, an annual religious observance. Witnesses at the scene alleged the attackers were affiliated with Jamaat and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir. The local Jamaat MP, Mir Ahmad Bin Qasem, known as Barrister Arman, denied any party involvement.

Police initially offered conflicting accounts of the incident, describing it variously as an anti-drug drive and an unsanctioned operation by local groups.

Devotees fear the attack is part of a broader pattern of violence targeting shrines and Sufi sites across the country since August 5, 2024. They also noted that members of Jatiotabadi Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the ruling BNP, had attacked the same shrine a week earlier under the guise of an anti-drug campaign.