Assam Police arrests radical Islamist Rezuwan Ulla Mazarbhuiya, an Al Qaeda member for  provocative post

Guwahati: A Muslim youth from Hailakandi, Assam, was taken into custody by the local police for posting on social media in favour of the turmoil in Bangladesh.  According to reports on August 9 the person, named Rezuwan Ulla Mazarbhuiya, was taken into custody from his home in Rangpur’s fifth ward by the Lala Police Station. Rezuwan in a Facebook post wrote that India should follow Bangladesh style of altering power. In his Facebook post, the radical youth  stated in Bengali, “After Bangladesh, now it’s time for India.” Assam will soon see the effects of Bangladesh. In later remarks, he also alluded to ties to the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda. To find any connections to terrorism, the authorities are interviewing him.

Meanwhile, Assam’s DGP, Gyanendra Pratap Singh, announced that Indian passport holders will be permitted to exit Bangladesh through Assam’s approved entry points. DGP Singh said that the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Assam Police will stop any efforts by non-Indians to enter the country illegally, following a meeting to assess law and order. He mentioned that 78 students, 60 of whom were from Assam, had returned from Bangladesh amid the unrest of the previous month. DGP Singh reaffirmed that only people with Indian passports would be allowed in, and that anyone who enter illegally will face consequences from the law. Bangladesh and the districts of Karimganj, Cachar, Dhubri, and South Salmara-Mankachar in Assam are separated by a 267.5-kilometer border. An army company has now been stationed beside the Border Security Force (BSF), which is maintaining a heightened presence in the area. Significantly, all import-export operations as well as cross-border human movement have been suspended since Monday due to the closure of the Integrated Check Post (ICP).