Cop seen gagging protester during ‘March for Justice’ suspended

Inspector (operations) at Shahbagh police station in city Md. Arshad Hossain has been suspended following a widely criticised incident where he was seen covering the mouth of a protester during the quota reform movement near the Supreme Court area.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Md. Mainul Hasan issued the suspension order Sunday.

The incident occurred on 31 July during a ‘March for Justice’ organised by Students Against Discrimination, a platform that led the quota reform movement.

Amid the protests, Arshad Hossain was filmed forcibly covering the mouth of Nahidul Islam, a political science student from Dhaka’s New Model Degree College.

The footage quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread condemnation.

In response, the DMP acknowledged that inspector Arshad’s unprofessional conduct not only harmed the image of the police force but also created a negative public perception of their operations. His actions were deemed inappropriate for a disciplined member of the police, leading to his suspension.

In addition to the incident, inspector Arshad has faced several other allegations. He was accused of labelling the protesting students as members of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

A video of him making these claims also circulated on social media, further inflaming the situation.