Police have arrested 32 people in connection with a sudden procession by leaders and activists of the Awami League (Activites banned) and its associated bodies in the capital’s Gulshan area. Police claim that the arrested individuals directly participated in the procession. A case has been filed at the Gulshan Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act over the incident.
Gulshan Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Daud Hossain stated that on Friday afternoon, between 150 and 200 leaders and activists of the Awami League and its associated bodies gathered in an alley on Road No. 3 in the Gulshan-1 area and ‘attempted to bring out a procession.’ However, videos of the procession circulating on social media show a procession taking place in the presence of hundreds of leaders and activists.
According to the police version of events, when they attempted to disperse the procession, some of the participants hurled cocktails at the police. Two cocktails exploded during this time. To control the situation, police fired two rounds of rubber bullets and dispersed the procession.
The Media and Public Relations Division of the DMP stated in a message on Saturday that 32 people from among those who directly participated in the procession have been arrested. OC Daud Hossain also confirmed the same information.
Earlier, police had announced the detention of two individuals, identified as Abdur Rahim (49) and Md. Arafat (20), from the scene on Friday. Police also claimed to have recovered five live cocktails from their possession.
A case, bearing number 16, has been filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at the Gulshan Police Station in connection with this incident. The detailed identities of the 32 arrested individuals were not disclosed in the DMP’s Saturday message. OC Daud Hossain stated that efforts are underway to arrest others who participated in the procession.
Meanwhile, several videos of the procession circulating on social media show a good number of people chanting slogans. However, police have not provided detailed information regarding the identities of the individuals in the videos or their specific roles in the procession.
