The second and third marriages of Hefazat-e-Islam leader Mamunul Haque took place in the absence of a registrar and there was no marriage contract or dower provision either, according to police.

The joint general secretary of the now-dissolved Hefazat committee and secretary general of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Mamunul is currently being interrogated by Narayanganj police in the case filed by his so-called second wife Jannat Ara Jharna.

He had disclosed some important information while being quizzed, said district Superintendent of Police Md Jayedul Alam.

“Mamunul Haque has admitted that he has been married three times. However, the second and third marriages were not officiated by a registrar, nor was there any marriage contract or dower,” he said.

Stating that detailed information gleaned from the accused would be disclosed at the end of his nine-day remand period, the SP said: “Mamunul Haque has revealed a lot to the police, but he has yet to agree to testify in the court under Section 164 [of the Code of Criminal Procedure].”

Mamunul has said that at the time of his marriage with Jharna, he had set conditions that they would not have any children and she would not get a share in his property, according to police. He also admitted that it was wrong of him to see her without a marriage contract or the provision of dower.

Mamunul Haque was arrested from Jamia Rahmania Arabia Madrasa in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area on April 18 and has been remanded several times in cases filed for violence by Hefazat.

Also read - Hefazat leader Mamunul sued in rape case

On April 3, locals and ruling party supporters surrounded Mamunul with Jharna Begum, whom he had identified as his second wife and named Amena Tayeba – his first wife, in a room at Royal Resort in Narayanganj’s Sonargaon.

Local administrative officials and police went to the resort upon hearing about the incident and sat with Mamunul to learn about the incident. Later, a group of Hefazat supporters ran riot at the resort and snatched him away.

Jharna filed the lawsuit on April 30 under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act with Sonargaon police, three days after the Detective Branch of police rescued her from a house in Dhaka's Mohammadpur area.

She was reportedly held captive at the house, which belongs to Mamunul's sister Dilruba, since she was found with Mamunul on April 3.

Also read - Mamunul’s resort incident leaves unanswered questions

Waliur Rahman, Jharna's father, filed a general diary with Kalabagan police station in Dhaka on April 26, as he had been unable to locate his daughter since the news of the resort incident broke out. Besides, Abdur Rahman, Jharna's son with her former husband, also filed another GD with Paltan police station on April 11.

What the case says

According to the case, Jharna met Mamunul in 2005 as he was a close friend of her former husband Maulana Shahidul Islam. Before meeting Mamunul, the couple was leading a happy life.

Mamunul used to visit their house frequently, and tried various tricks to cause trouble in between Jharna and Shahidul. Provoked by Mamunul’s evil counsel, the couple got divorced on August 10, 2018.

After the divorce, Mamunul allured her to come to Dhaka, and trusting him, Jharna did so.

"At one stage, he began a physical relationship with me, with the promise of marriage," Jharna said in the statement.

In the last two years, Mamunul took her to different hotels and resorts in Dhaka and nearby areas to spend time together - all with the promise of marriage.

"When I talked about marriage, he wasted my time giving me assurances," she said.