24 BUET students among 34 arrested from Tanguar Haor

Police have arrested from a travelling boat 34 students of different educational institutions of Dhaka, including 24 of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), on charges of “secret conspiracy against the government and apprehension of violation of public safety”. They were travelling at Tanguar Haor in Sunamganj.

The police on Monday filed an anti-terrorism case against the students at Tahirpur police station in Sunamganj.

The law enforcement claimed all of the arrested students are involved with the politics of Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. They came to Sunamganj to conspire against the government and to hold a secret meeting in disguise of travelling at the Tanguar Haor. They had an intention of violating public safety and cause loss of people’s lives and properties, police added.

Police and local source said the students came to Tahirpur upazila on Sunday morning. They rented a houseboat and visited Tanguar Haor all the day. On their way to bordering Tekerhat, at the north side of the haor, two speedboats of police intercepted them and detained them.

Police did not say anything though Prothom Alo contacted the law enforcement several times from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning.

Later, speaking to Prothom Alo on Monday afternoon, a police official said they needed time to verify the allegations brought against the detainees. A case was filed and they were shown arrested in the case once police could ascertain the allegation. All of them are involved with the politics of Islami Chhatra Shibir and came here to conspire against the government. They came to the haor so that none can suspect them, the official added.

Tahirpur police station officer-in-charge MD Rashedul Kabir filed the case on Monday afternoon.

Twenty-four of the arrested are student of BUET. They are -- Afif Anwar, Bakhtiar Nafis, Md Saikh, Ismail Ibn Azad, Sabbir Ahmed, Tajimur Rafi, Md Saad Adnan, Md Shamim Al Razi, Md Abdullah Al Mukit, Md Zaim Sarkar, Haisam Bin Mahbub, Mahmudur Hasan, Khalid Ammar, Md Fahadul Islam, Tanvir Arafat, ATM Abrar Muhtadi, Md Faisal Habib, Anwarullah Siddiqui, Ali Ammar Mouaz, Md Rashed Raihan, Sakib Shahriar, Faiz Us Shoaib, Abdur Rafi and Main Uddin.

The remaining arrested are -- Abdul Bari, Md Baki Billah, Mahdi Hasan, TM Tanvir Hossain, Ashraf Ali, Md Mahmud Hasan, Md Ehsanul Hokan, Raiyan Ahmed, Tanimul Islam and Md Abdullah Mia.

Regarding this, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Sunamganj district secretary general Momtazul Hasan Abed told Prothom Alo that they were informed from Dhaka that there are several activists among the students, who came to visit the haor, after police detained them. But, nothing could be learned about their whereabouts since Sunday afternoon.

Additional superintendent of police (administration) Abu Sayeed confirmed Prothom Alo about the arrest of 34 students of BUET and other educational institutions in Dhaka , who travelled to Tanguar Haor, and filing a case against them under the anti-terrorism act.

Police have arrested these student based on specific evidences, he added.