Senior leaders of the radical Islamist organization Hefazat-e-Islam met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at his residence in the capital Dhaka on Monday night.
Around five to six Hefazat leaders held a meeting with the minister for over an hour.
Some senior police officers were also present at the time.
After coming out of the residence around 11:15pm, the leaders refused to make any comments on the meeting.
Hefazat Nayeb-e-Ameer Ataullah Hafeji, Secretary General Nurul Islam Jihadi, Qwami Madrasa Education Board (BEFAQ) Secretary General Mahfuzul Haque, also the brother of Hefazat Joint Secretary General Mamunul Haque, Mizanur Rahman, and Habibullah Miaji, among others, were present at the meeting. When asked, Nurul Islam told reporters that he is sick and would not be able to talk about the meeting.
Mahfuzul Haque said: "A discussion was held, but there is nothing more to say."
However, no formal briefing was held from any side after the meeting.
According to the meeting sources, Hefazat leaders discussed with the home minister about the cases filed against their leaders and subsequent arrests.
They demanded that their leaders not be arrested or harassed unreasonably. The leaders said they are not against the government and they had no programmes of movement against it as well.
While talking to the media, the home minister said, “ I told the Hefazat leaders that police are not harassing any innocent individual.
"Only those involved in vandalism and violence are being arrested in accordance with law," he said.
Earlier, five top Hefazat leaders led by its secretary general held a meeting with an intelligence agency on Monday afternoon.
A Hefazat leader said the meeting with the home minister was a follow-up to the afternoon meeting.
According to the sources concerned, the Hefazat leaders are trying to come to an understating with the government as the latter took a tough stance against the Islamist group following its violent movements.
They want no more leaders and activists to be arrested by the law enforcement agencies.
Protesting against the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in late March, Hefazat staged demonstrations in Dhaka and elsewhere, causing multiple casualties.
Police said the law enforcers have arrested nine top Hefazat leaders, including Mamunul Haque, so far.
