The Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s (CMM) Court has ordered to send expelled member of the Awami League and former minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui, professor of law at Dhaka University Sheikh Hafizur Rahman (Karzon), and journalist Manzurul Alam, among 16 accused, to jail.
They were produced before the CMM Court this morning, where Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque gave the order. They have been sent to jail.
More than 12 hours after their detention, a case was filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act against these 16 people around 12:45 am early on Friday. The case was lodged by Amirul Islam, a sub-inspector at Shahbagh Police Station in the capital.
The other arrestees are: Abdullah Al Amin, Kazi ATM Anisur Rahman, Golam Mostafa, Mohammad Mohibul Islam, Md Jakir Hossain, Tousiful Bari Khan, Amir Hossain alias Suman, Nazmul Ahsan, Md Al-Amin, Syed Shahed Hasan, Shafiqul Islam Delwar, Dewan Md Ali, and Abdullahil Kaiyum.
When contacted on Friday morning, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)’s Ramna Division, Masud Alam told Prothom Alo that Latif Siddiqui and the others had been shown arrested in the case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
On Thursday morning, Latif Siddiqui, Sheikh Hafizur Rahman and others went to attend a roundtable at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU). The discussion, titled “Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh”, was organised by a platform called Mancha 71.
Dr Kamal Hossain, one of the framers of Bangladesh’s constitution and emeritus president of Gano Forum, was scheduled to be the chief guest but was absent. Although the event was set to begin at 10:0 am, it eventually started around 11:00 am.
Sheikh Hafizur Rahman was first to address the roundtable. “We are witnessing that an ill attempt is going on to throw away the country’s constitution. Jamaat (Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami), Shibir (Islami Chhatra Shibir) and National Citizen Party (NCP) are behind this. Led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, they have been humiliating freedom fighters with garlands of shoes,” he told the discussion.
Immediately after the speech of Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, a group of people entered the DRU auditorium with a procession. They were chanting different slogans like “July-er hatiar, gorje uthuk arekbar”, “League dhor, jele bhor”, July-er joddhara, ek hou larai koro” and so on.
At one point, they tore down the banner of the roundtable and confined the participants inside. Around 12:15 pm, a team of police from Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrived, and the protesters handed over at least 16 people, including former lawmaker Abdul Latif Siddique, Professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, and journalist Manzurul Alam to the police.
DMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Asaduzzaman was present at the scene. Shortly after 12:15 pm, police took several of the detainees, including Latif Siddiqui, away in a van.
When asked why the roundtable participants were confined and handed over to police, a man named Al Amin Rasel said, “We are July Fighters. Here, fallen Awami League, Jubo League, and banned Chhatra League leaders and activists had gathered here to conspire. As long as the July Fighters are alive, we will never allow such activities.”
The Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) issued a statement Thursday evening condemning and protesting the attack on the roundtable discussion and journalists.