Police have detained around 300 people, including former Dhaka Union of Journalists president and general secretary Abu Zafar Surjo, after conducting a raid on Saturday at the central office of the Jatiyatabadi Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) in Gulistan, Dhaka. Abu Zafar Surjo himself posted a photo on Facebook wearing handcuffs and stated, ‘While performing professional duties at the JSD representative meeting today, police are taking me and many others away with handcuffs on our hands. I do not know where they are taking me.’
Following the raid on Saturday evening, September 26, Mohammad Harun Or Rashid, Deputy Commissioner of the Motijheel Division of Police, said that the number would be close to 280 to 300. Police began the operation at the party office at 3 PM on Saturday. Afterwards, prison vans were brought one after another, and the people inside the office were handcuffed and taken to Paltan Police Station.
Police stated that the raid was conducted on the information that leaders and activists of the banned Awami League had gathered at the JSD office. Deputy Commissioner Harun Or Rashid said, ‘We had information that JSD, along with members of Bangladesh Awami League and its affiliate organizations, had gathered here with the intention of committing sabotage or for some other malicious purpose. So, upon receiving this news, our police took primary measures. Local students and the public assisted the police.’
This police official further said, ‘We are verifying what purpose they actually gathered here for, what information they possess, and what actions they performed here. We already have some information that they chanted “Joy Bangla” slogans here.’
Sajjad Hossain, JSD’s office secretary, said that at 2:30 PM, an ‘attack’ was carried out on them while they were holding a representative meeting with about three hundred and fifty leaders who had come from all over the country. Leaders and activists of the BNP and Jubo Dal attacked the representative meeting.
Around 2:30 PM, leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organizations entered the JSD office. At this time, Rabiul Islam Nayan, member secretary of Dhaka South Jubo Dal, was seen saying, ‘Banned Awami League leaders and activists are holding a secret meeting here.’ When his attention was drawn to this matter, Sajjad Hossain said, ‘This is a lie, our representative meeting was going on.’
On Saturday (September 26), alleging that Awami League leaders and activists had gathered at the JSD office, Rabiul Islam Nayan, joint general secretary of the Central Executive Committee of Jubo Dal, and Paltan Thana Jubo Dal leaders and activists surrounded the office. Later, a large number of police personnel, including DMP Motijheel Division DC Harun Or Rashid, arrived there. Around 4 PM, many people were seen being taken out of the JSD office in handcuffs one by one.
Police say that ‘Joy Bangla’ slogans were chanted inside the JSD office and many outsiders were staying there. Already more than fifty have been taken into custody and taken to Paltan Police Station. They will be interrogated. The operation is ongoing. Further steps will be taken based on information analysis and interrogation.
Meanwhile, JSD claimed that they had submitted applications to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner and the DC of the DMP’s Motijheel Division on September 23 and 24 to use microphones and for security of the meeting. The applications were also received. Even after this, the attack and raid took place at their office today, Saturday. Later, Paltan Police Station’s Inspector (Investigation) Md. Shafiqul Islam told the media, ‘I am not aware of any such application.’
Notably, during the rule of Yunus, the highest number of journalist persecutions in the history of 55 years of independence has been carried out. Many have been in jail for a long time. The continuation of which persists today. The offices of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Union of Journalists remain locked today. Over a thousand murder and multiple harassing cases have been filed against journalists across the country. Over a thousand journalists across the country have been dismissed from jobs solely for ideological reasons.
