Gulshan AL rally 32 held, 24 remanded
Police have arrested 32 activists of the banned Awami League and its affiliated organisations in connection with a flash procession in Dhaka’s Gulshan area on Friday, while a Dhaka court today placed 24 of them on a 10-day remand.
The accused were shown arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act in a case filed over the procession and subsequent clashes with police.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque passed the remand order after hearing arguments from both the defence and prosecution.
During the hearing, defence lawyers sought cancellation of the remand and bail for the accused, while state lawyers opposed the bail petitions and sought remand for interrogation.
After hearing both sides, the court granted a 10-day remand for 24 accused.
The hearing concerning Arafat, who was claimed to be a minor, was scheduled for Sunday for submission of documents establishing his age and for further proceedings.
The 24 accused placed on remand are Md Rahim, Md Jahangir Hossain, Md Alamgir Hossain,
Sabbir Hossain, Kamrul Hasan, Md Munna Mia, Samin Yasar (Safayat), Md Rasel, H M Zakaria Rahman, Minhazul Islam Fahad, Sohel Ahmed, Md Sohrab, Md Hazrat Ali, Md Aktarul Islam Masud, Chan Mia, Md Habib Sikder, Md Zahir Hossain, Mehedi Hasan, Kabir Bhandari, Babul Gope, Md Farid Ahmed, Indranil Deb Sharma, Md Nazrul Islam and Masud Hasan Shamim.
Police Account
At a media briefing on Saturday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Media Division Deputy Commissioner Akter Hossain announced the arrest of 32 people over the procession.
According to police, around 150-200 leaders and activists of the banned Awami League and its affiliated organisations gathered at about 11:45am on Friday in a lane beside KFC on Road No. 3 in Gulshan Police Station area.
They allegedly attempted to stage a procession despite the government ban on the party’s activities.
Gulshan Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Daud Hossain said the procession lasted for around 30 seconds.
Police moved to disperse the participants, at which point the marchers allegedly threw cocktails or handmade bombs at police, according to the OC.
Police then fired two rounds of rubber bullets to disperse the procession, he said.
A DMP message said the 32 people arrested had directly participated in the flash procession of the banned Awami League and its affiliated organisations in Gulshan.
Sub-Inspector Md Mahbub Hossain of Gulshan Police Station filed the case under the Anti-Terrorism Act as the complainant.
The case names 118 people as accused and includes another 80-100 unidentified individuals.
The accused have been charged in connection with the procession and the alleged attack on police during efforts to disperse the gathering.
The government has imposed a ban on all activities of the Awami League, which was ousted from power following the student-led mass uprising two years ago.
The party’s affiliated organisation, Bangladesh Chhatra League, has also been banned.
Despite the ban, supporters of the Awami League have made sporadic attempts to stage processions in different parts of the country.
Friday’s flash procession in Gulshan was the latest such incident in the capital.
Police said the participants dispersed after the brief procession and the subsequent police action, while 32 people were later arrested in connection with the incident.
