Sub inspector Sukanta arrested, protests continue in front of KMP

Sub Inspector (SI) Sukanta Das, who had earlier been released from police custody in Khulna, has finally been arrested.

However, protests continued today, Thursday, in front of the Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) headquarters, demanding the removal of the police commissioner.

Demonstrators again locked the main gate and set tires on fire on the road in front of the KMP office.

Earlier, on Tuesday, local residents and BNP activists caught Sukanta Das in the Khan Jahan Ali police station area of Khulna, beat him up, and handed him over to the police. However, the police released him, sparking protests against the KMP commissioner.

Police stated that SI Sukanta was serving at the Alamdanga police station in Chuadanga. He was arrested today by a joint team of Khulna Metropolitan Police and Chuadanga District Police from Alamdanga and is being brought to Khulna.

The arrest was confirmed by KMP Commissioner Zulfikar Ali Haider. Speaking to Prothom Alo  this afternoon, he said that Sukanta was arrested in a case filed at Khulna Sadar Police Station for vandalising the house of BNP leader Shafiqul Alam Mona.

He added that there are specific procedures that must be followed when arresting a government official; failure to do so can raise questions later, which is why the process took some time.

According to police sources, a case was filed against SI Sukanta on 12 December, 2024, at Khulna Sadar Police Station, accusing him of assaulting students and civilians.

The case is being investigated by the Detective Branch (DB). Additionally, there are two more cases against him, including one for vandalising the house of BNP Khulna city unit’s President Shafiqul Alam Mona.

Meanwhile, since this afternoon, leaders and activists from organisations such as the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and Chhatra Dal have been staging protests in front of the KMP headquarters. They are chanting slogans demanding the immediate removal of the police commissioner.

Protesters stated that although Sukanta was initially detained, no legal action was taken against him, and he was released. Their movement is in protest of that.

Yesterday, Wednesday, protesters also besieged the KMP headquarters demanding Sukanta’s arrest and the resignation of the police commissioner. On the first day of the protest, the demonstrators temporarily suspended their programme around 8:30pm. Later, at 9:30pm, police officials opened the locked gates of the KMP headquarters, and normal traffic resumed on the roads.