Raid at hotel during ‘secret meeting’, 18 UP members detained 

A total of 18 members of different union parishads in Cox’s Bazar have been detained during a raid at a residential hotel at Kalatali in the district town. 

According to the police, the meeting was focused on public representatives’ action in state reforms, democracy restoration and rural development, hosted by the Cox’s Bazar branch of Bangladesh union parishad member association. 

The police, along with local coordinators of Students Against Discrimination (SAD), conducted a raid and detained 40 individuals from there. Following primary interrogation, the police took 18 union parishad members to their custody and let the others go. 

Faizul Azim, officer-in-charge (OC) of Cox's Bazar sadar model police station, said more than a hundred union parishad members from Cox’s Bazar and hill areas joined the meeting at Uni Resort in the beach town.

On information, the police searched the hotel and took 18 suspected individuals to their custody, he said, adding, “Those who are accused in cases have been detained, and those with no cases have been released.” 

The OC also said they are carrying out further verifications on the detainees. 

Multiple union parishad members, who joined the meeting, said the union parishad members' association arranged the view exchange programme, with its chairman and lawyer Abdullah Al Mamun scheduled to be present as the chief guest, and a political leader called Ataullah Khan as the special guest. 

Around 9:00 pm, a police team, along with 20 to 25 SAD leaders, raided the hotel, on allegation that pro-Awami League union parishad members were making anti-government plans in a secret meeting.

One of the detainees – Jahir Ahmed, member of Teknaf sadar union parishad – said the association of union parishad members called the meeting and nearly 70 members joined it. They were discussing effective ways to discharge duties amid the national crisis. 

All of a sudden, the police and SAD coordinators carried out a raid and detained them, he said, adding they would not gather in a hotel had it been a secret meeting. 

Selim Ullah, who was released after detention, said a total of 70 union parishad members, affiliated with Awami League, BNP, and Jamaat, joined the discussion. The police took 18 to 19 pro-Awami League members to the police station.