Will 'surrender' if not arrested, says Latif Siddique

Former minister and freedom fighter Abdul Latif Siddique has said that he will surrender before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) if police do not arrest him in a case over alleged killings and crimes against humanity case during the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel.

Siddiqui made the remarks after appearing before a Dhaka court on Wednesday (July 29) in an anti-terrorism case filed with Shahbagh Police Station.

Latif Siddique said he had learned earlier in the day that an arrest warrant had been issued against him in the ICT case.

"I do not go into hiding. If police do not arrest me, I will surrender before the tribunal on Sunday or Monday," he said.

Earlier in the day, Latif Siddique and other accused appeared before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in a separate case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act with Shahbagh Police Station.

Although police were scheduled to submit the investigation report today, they failed to do so.

Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana then deferred the submission date to September 7, according to defence lawyer Golam Rabbani.

Addressing journalists outside the courtroom, Latif Siddique said he had deliberately appeared in court to demonstrate that he had no intention of evading the legal process despite the arrest warrant issued in the ICT case.

He added that if police arrest him before then, "that is a different matter," but said he was fully prepared for the legal proceedings.

According to the case records, the Anti-Terrorism Act case stems from an incident at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) premises, where a roundtable discussion organised by the group Mancha-71 was allegedly disrupted. Police later arrested several individuals in connection with the incident, and Latif Siddique was subsequently shown arrested in the case.

The ICT case relates to allegations of killings and crimes against humanity during the Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Shapla Square in Motijheel, in which Latif Siddique has been named as an accused.