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Exclusive Interview

Pichchi Helal recounts how he got gangster tag

Published : Saturday, 22 February, 2025 at 12:00 AM  Count : 621
Mamunur Rashid
Imamul Hossain Helal alias Pichchi Helal, former joint general secretary of the central committee of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chattra Dal (JCD), had been incarcerated for 26 years. Helal, one of the listed 23 gangsters, has been released since the fall of Sheikh Hasina government in a student-mass uprising on August 5.

The former JCD leader who shook the streets was named a top gangster as a political victim of revenge by the fallen Sheikh Hasina government in 2000. Being at the peak of popularity was also active in BNP's internal political strife.

In an interview with The Daily Observer, Imamul Hossain Helal revealed the story of those dark days of his life and how he came to be known as a gangster.

Helal was the general secretary of the JCD Mohammadpur Thana unit. He served as the joint secretary of the Dhaka unit of JCD and the joint general secretary of the central committee of the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Imamul Hasan Helal was politically angered by Haji Maqbul Hossain former Awami League lawmaker from Dhaka's Mohammadpur-Dhanmondi constituency.

On January 12, 2000, the police arrested Inamul Haque Helal from Adabar in Mohammadpur on the orders of AL lawmaker Haji Maqbul Hossain when the Awami League government of Sheikh Hasina came to power for the first time in 1996.

Police filed a false arms recovery case against him and others. He was detained with Ershad and Mahbubul Haq Shafiq from Adabar in the city. The law enforcers then put firearm and bullets in Adabar area to stage a recovery drive and accused him in a case. A Dhaka court recently dismissed the arranged arms recover case after 15 years of trial.

After going to jail, at least 11 trumped up murder and arms recover cases filed against Inamul Haque Helal by the direct order by Haji Maqbul are pending, he alleged.

Helal alleged that the seeds of terrorism were planted in Danmondi, Mohammadpur and Adabar by the hand of Haji Maqbul Hossain.

Terrorist forces were formed under Haji Maqbul leadership. At least three JCD, leaders Shafiqul Islam Titon, Ronukul Islam and Abu Mordesh were killed by Haji Maqbul Hossain's accomplices from 1996 to 2001. At one point I started resisting for my own survival from the terrorist activities of Haji Maqbool. He started filing political cases against me. Haji Maqbool implicated me in the murder case first in 1997.

Before his arrest, he was made an accused in a case filed against him in 1997 in connection with the murders of two people named Foreign Kamal at Mohammadpur Town Hall area and Ashiq at PG Hospital. Another case was filed against Helal in the murder of KM Ahmed Raju, ward commissioner of Dhaka, killed on October 1 in 2002. Interestingly Helal was in prison since 2000.

Two months into assuming power in 2001, the BNP lead government state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar set the bounty on the capture of those and announced a reward of Tk 15 lakh for the information leading to the arrest of each of the 23 high profile gangsters of Dhaka on December 27.

The announcement set the bounty on the capture of the top listed while in jail was controversial.

Despite being an active leader of the JCD, his name was included in the list of 23 top terrorists in the list made by the 'Awami Police' during the Awami League regime from 1996 to 2001.

In all, even after returning from 26 years of prison life, he is not freed. After coming out of jail, there have been accusations of trying to make him a terrorist again for internal political revenge.

Pichchi Helal, who was freed on bail after two decades, was accused in a case filed with Mohammadpur Police Station on September 22. The killings were committed in the area on September 20 over the murders of two youths.

A campaign of terrorist activities is being carried out against him. Which he claims is completely fictional.



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