Expelled Jamaat activist arrested for kicking woman at Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote rally
Police arrested Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami activist Akash Chowdhury from the Kotwali area of Chattogram on Sunday after he was expelled from the party for kicking a woman during a rally of Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote (Democratic Student Alliance) in the port city.
Kotwali police station officer-in-charge (OC) Abdul Karim told Prothom Alo that the police arrested Akash Chowdhury after being tipped off and produced him before the court in a case filed by police under the Speedy Trial Act.
Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote organised on 28 May the rally protesting against the acquittal of Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam, who was previously convicted of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 liberation war and sentenced to death.
Shortly after the rally began, a group of people under the banner of ‘Shahbagh Birodhi Oikya’, (anti-Shahbagh alliance), arrived with a procession.
When the two groups confronted each other around 3:30 pm, police tried to disperse them. At one stage, people of ‘Shahbagh Birodhi Okya’ attacked leaders and activists of the Chhatra Jote, injuring 12 people.
Police detained two persons – Obaidur and Selim – from the spot during the attack.
Later, the police filed a case against the two detainees and 20 unidentified people with Kotwali police station under the Speedy Trial Act.
The case statement said the accused, armed with locally-made weapons, brought out a procession, unleashed fear, and disrupted traffic in the area.
Meanwhile, a 15-second video clip of the attack started making rounds on social media platform Facebook, in which a man was seen kicking two people, including a woman, from behind. The man was later identified as Akash Chowdhury.
In the video, activists of Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote were seen taking shelter under a building next to the press club after the attack. A police member was also seen in the footage. Akash Chowdhury was seen evading the police and going behind the activists. He then suddenly kicked a person before turning around and kicking a female protester.
Later on the night of 30 May, in a statement signed by Mohammad Ullah, Jamaat’s assistant secretary of Chattogram city unit, announced they expelled certain Akash Chowdhury for kicking a woman during the Gonotantrik Chhatra Jote programme in Chattogram.