Comilla: Police have arrested 45 people after the leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organizations staged a jhtika procession on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Burichang upazila of Comilla. They were arrested in various areas of the district on Friday night. They were shown arrested and sent to court on Saturday in various cases.
According to the police, members of the district police’s intelligence branch (DB) and police stations arrested them on charges of anti-state activities, disruption of public security and creating panic in the public. On Saturday afternoon, District DB Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Abdullah confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo.
Yesterday, around 1:30 pm, Awami League leaders and activists staged a jhtika procession on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Kalakchua area of Burichang upazila. A 53-second video of the jhtika procession went viral on social media in the afternoon. In it, the jhtika procession was seen taking place under the banner of Comilla South District Chhatra League.
Among the arrested persons are Comilla Metropolitan Awami League advisor Papon Lal, Burichang Upazila Jubo League Joint General Secretary Abdur Nur Tushar, Comilla North District Sramik League General Secretary Sher A Alam, Daudkandi Upazila Sramik League Organizing Secretary Md. Sohag Mia, Awami League leader Mukbil Hossain, Muradnagar Purba Dhair Union Awami League Organizing Secretary Billal Hossain, Awami League leader Sharif Uddin, Muradnagar Upazila Chhatra League Vice President Md. Samrat, Laksam Ward Awami League President Md. Mizanur Rahman, Cultural Secretary of Chauddagram Upazila Awami League Kazi Yasin, President of a union Chhatra League in Nangalkot Mashiur Rahman Bhuiyan, Organizing Secretary of the Municipal Chhatra League Rabbi Majumder, Vice President of Ward No. 26 Jubo League of Comilla Nagar Mohammad Khorshed Alam, President of Ward No. 22 Jubo League Md. Abdul Halim, Joint Convener of Bagmara North Union Swechchhasebak League of Lalmai Abhi Ahmed, Organizing Secretary of Bagmara North Union Awami League Humayun Kabir, Joint Convener of Chhatra League of the same union Faruk Hossain, Organizing Secretary of Brahmanpara Upazila Swechchhasebak League and Joint Former General Secretary of Upazila Chhatra League Md. Kamal Hossain, Organizing Secretary of Jafarganj Union Chhatra League of Debidwar Lyon and Vice President of Barkanda Union Awami League Maqbul, and 45 others.
The media cell of the district police informed that a flash rally was held in support of the banned Awami League in the Kalakchua area of Burichang from 1:30 pm to 31 pm on Friday. Immediately after the incident, the district DB and police station conducted a drive and arrested the accused from different areas.
Citing the interrogation of some of the arrested, the police said that some leaders including the absconding Metropolitan Awami League President AKM Bahauddin Bahar are secretly sending money to help implement anti-government programs. With their funding, people were hired from different areas of Comilla in exchange for money and a short-term flash rally was held. Most of the participants of the rally covered their faces so that their identities were hidden. Later, they were arrested in a drive.
District DB OC Mohammad Abdullah said that 45 people have been arrested on charges of anti-state activities, disruption of public security and creating panic in the public mind. They were arrested in various cases and sent to court this afternoon.
