Police say most detained from JSD office released, party demands release of remaining 26
Police have released most of the people detained from the central office of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) in Gulistan, Dhaka.
JSD says 26 people remain in detention. According to the party, all of them are its leaders and activists, and it has demanded their release as well.
At around 3:00 pm on Saturday, police raided JSD’s central office. Police detained leaders, activists and a journalist leader who were present at the scene and took them to police stations.
At around 11:00 pm on Saturday, Shakibul Alam Bhuiyan, assistant commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Motijheel zone, told Prothom Alo that 289 people had been detained from the JSD office during the raid.
He said those who were JSD leaders or activists would be released, while legal action would be taken against the others after verification.
Abu Zafar Surya, former president of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), was also detained from the JSD office. JSD sources said he was released early Sunday morning. Relevant sources also said that none of those detained had yet been produced before a court.
JSD said its central representatives’ meeting had been organised at the party’s central office with police permission. Police raided the office during the meeting and detained the party leaders.
Earlier in the afternoon, police said they had raided the office after receiving information that members of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations had gathered there. Police also said that the slogan “Joy Bangla” had been chanted inside the office. The people were subsequently detained and taken to police stations.
JSD, however, denied that Awami League leaders and activists had gathered there. In a statement, the party said the central representatives’ meeting at its office had been scheduled in advance.
It said the meeting had been organised after informing the DMP commissioner, the deputy commissioner of the Motijheel zone and the officer-in-charge of Paltan Police Station.
JSD said it is not a banned political party and that there is no restriction on its activities. According to the party, everyone attending the central representatives’ meeting was a JSD leader or member.
Condemning the detentions, the statement said the meeting was part of JSD’s own organisational activities and was attended by around 500 party leaders and activists, including 30 women.
It alleged that 500 activists of the Jubo Dal, in the presence of police, entered the JSD office and created a mob situation. They allegedly physically assaulted party leaders and activists. Police then surrounded the entire office and detained those present, taking them to various police stations, including Paltan and Shahjahanpur.
JSD also said that completely baseless information was being spread that an Awami League meeting had been held under the guise of a JSD meeting.
Sazzad Hossain, JSD’s office secretary, told Prothom Alo on Sunday morning that 26 party leaders and activists were still being detained. He demanded their release as well.