The police so far has identified ten persons who had been involved in the clashes at the New Market area, with helmets and sharp weapons. Five of them were directly involved with hacking of courier service employee Nahid Hossain. Their identities were confirmed from video footage of the clashes and by talking to witnesses.
However, none of these ten identified assailants could be arrested even after six days of the incident. But, several sources involved with the investigation of the case confirmed to Prothom Alo that five of them are under police surveillance.
Along with Nahid, another salesman named Mohammad Mursalin was also beaten and hacked to death during the clashes on 19 April. Police couldn’t give any updates about the investigation into the people that hacked him. His attackers could not be identified either.
However, police received information that followers of one of the leaders of the dissolved convening committee of Dhaka College Chhatra League unit were associated with this murder.
Along with video footage and photographs of the incident, sources of the traders of New Market area say, followers of four leaders of the dissolved convening committee were more rampant during the clashes. Many of them participated in vandalism and violence with sharp weapons, rods and pipes wearing helmets.
A source of Detective Brach (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) says, several students of Dhaka College were questioned to know who are involved in Musalin’s murder. Information provided by them is being verified. Besides, traders and salesmen are also being interrogated in the incidents of clashes, vandalism and violence.
Faruk Hossain, deputy commissioner of media and public relations division of DMP, told Prothom Alo, attempts to arrest the identified assailants are ongoing. Details on this will soon be revealed through a press conference.
Alongside investigating those two murder cases, several teams of DB are working to identify people, involved in attacks and vandalism with sharp weapons during the clash as well. Ten assailants have been identified already. They are students of Dhaka College and involved in Chhatra League politics on campus.
Two people were killed in that clash while 50 sustained injuries. In total, four cases were filed in connection to the clashes. Two of them are murder cases. And, the number of accused in those four cases is 1,574. Out of them, only 24 persons are identified accused while, the rest are anonymous.
Till now, only BNP leader Mokbul Hossain has been arrested in a case of obstructing police. He is being questioned under remand. His three-days remand is supposed to end today, Tuesday. Police didn’t say anything specific about what was found by interrogating him during the remand.
Students leaving campus in panic
DB and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) separately raided a room of Dhaka College’s International Hall on Sunday evening. From there, they took away Zahir Hasan alias Jewel, a member of the dissolved convening committee of the college Chhatra League unit for questioning. Later, they also released him on the same night.
Bashar Emon used to live in the room that was raided. Emon was seen hacking Nahid with a machete wearing a helmet, in the video footages and photographs of the clash, published in the media. Emon was not in his room during the raids of DB and RAB. His mobile phone has also been switched off for two days.
Students of Dhaka College have started leaving the student halls of the college in panic after the raids on Sunday. All the eight halls of the college are almost empty now. Many students left their halls right after photographs of some of the students, taking part in vandalism and violence during the clashes with helmets and sharp weapons, were published in the media.
Meanwhile, ATM Mainul Hossain, acting principal of Dhaka College told Prothom Alo, law enforcement agency members entered the student hall to collect evidence. This was not a raid. While returning they took away a student with them but, released him later that night. Law enforcement agencies went to the halls with permission, he added.
The acting principal further said that police will investigate the cases, filed in connection to the clashes. The college won’t have any say if law enforcers take actions against anyone, if they are involved in the violence. However, the college authority will see to it that innocent students are not harmed or harassed.