Filing of new cases, arresting political opposition and students through night-time block raids, and regular drives by law-enforcing agencies have continued across Bangladesh in the aftermath of a week-long deadly crackdown on student protests seeking reform in the quota system for public services.
At least 6,000 people, mostly the leaders and activists of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, were arrested in hundreds of cases filed over alleged 鈥榲andalism鈥� in key infrastructure during clashes across the country between July 15 and July 21, according to available police data on Saturday.
Among them, 500 were arrested in 24 hours between Friday and Saturday, police said.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, in a statement on Saturday, alleged that after killing and torturing young students, the government was now filing cases against the leaders and activists of opposition parties.
The opposition activists are arrested and crippled before being brought to court and remanded for torture again, he said.
Minimum law was not followed for remand, he said, accusing the police of torturing their party people brutally and inventing imaginary stories against them.
Alongside arresting opposition party leaders and common people, now young students are also being arrested with block raids, Fakhrul said.
They are arresting them after seeing their ID cards, he added.
Fakhrul said that the injury marks carried by coordinators of the quota reform movement on the bodies indicated how they were subjected to enforced disappearance and torture.聽
Responding to Fakhrul鈥檚 claims of mass arrests, Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader clarified on Saturday in a statement that the government was only taking action against 鈥筸iscreants鈥�.
鈥楴o mass arrests are being made. Action is being taken against the miscreants. No innocent person will be harassed,鈥� he said.
Speaking to reporters, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said that the targeted attacks against the police and members of the Awami League were carried out during the student protest.
鈥楿pon the prime minister鈥簊 directive, we sought the cooperation of the military to restore peace when our combined forces of RAB, police, and BGB were overwhelmed,鈥� he explained, expressing optimism that the current situation would be resolved soon.
Referring to the student-led protests, the minister said that many incidents, including murders, occurred due to misguided students.
鈥楽everal members of the Chhatra League have been killed, and three police officers have lost their lives, with one currently fighting for his life,鈥� he said, adding that the coordination leaders of the quota reform movement are currently in protective custody.
鈥榃e are investigating and questioning them to identify those who might wish to harm them,鈥� he said.
Amid the arrest drive, a Dhaka metropolitan magistrate court on Saturday placed three people, including BNP joint secretary general Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, on a seven-day remand in a case filed with Rampura police station on charges of violence.
Magistrate Shanta Akhter passed the order after police produced them before the court, seeking a 10-day remand for interrogation. The other two accused are Ghulam Dastgir Prince and ABM Khalid Hasan.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police assistant deputy commissioner KN Roy Niyati said on Saturday that they had arrested 2,536 people in a special drive following violent student protests.
They arrested include 252 more people in 24 hours between Friday and Saturday.
The Rapid Action Battalion said on Saturday that they arrested 24 more people in Dhaka and outside the capital in 24 hours.
The DMP鈥檚 detective branch also arrested five more people in connection with the violence.
Ariful Islam Adib, a journalist for the Bangla daily Protidiner Bangladesh, alleged that law enforcers raided his Dhaka residence on July 24, though he was not arrested.
抖阴精品 staff correspondent in Chattogram reported that at least 44 more people were arrested in 24 hours, taking the number of people arrested in the port city and districts under the Chattogram division to 847 in 30 cases.
抖阴精品 staff correspondent in Rajshahi reported that at least 29 more people were arrested in 24 hours between Friday and Saturday, taking the number of people arrested in Rajshahi city and the district to 339.聽
抖阴精品 correspondent in Barishal reported that at least 13 more people were arrested in 24 hours, which took the number of people arrested in Barishal city and districts to 134 in six days.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Rangpur reported that at least 13 more people, including Haragasa thana BNP convener Monayem Hossain Faruk, were arrested in the past 24 hours.聽
With this, a total of 143 people were arrested in Rangpur city.
In Savar and Ashulia police stations in Dhaka, 19 cases have been filed, leading to the arrest of 174 people.
In Gazipur, police have arrested so far 396 people, including 34 in 24 hours on Saturday in 37 cases filed since July 17, Gazipur Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Nazir Khan said.
Police also arrested 179 people in 11 cases in Tangail, 160 people in Bogura in 15 cases, 77 people in Gaibandha in two cases, and 32 in Chapainawabganj in one case, reported 抖阴精品 correspondents citing local police sources.
In Jamalpur, 34 people have been arrested in 10 cases, while in Madaripur, 94 people, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Gono Odhikar Parishad leaders, have been arrested in 10 cases in the special drive.
Besides, 487 people have been arrested in Narayanganj, including 51 in 24 hours.
In Pabna and Thakurgaon, 33 and 61 people were arrested in the special drive.
In Sylhet, four more people were arrested in 24 hours, taking the number of people arrested in the city to 139.
