Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators of the Students Movement Against Discrimination, a platform for anti-quota movement, went missing in the wee hours of Saturday as some 50–60 people identified themselves as Detective Branch members, picked him up from his friend’s house in Khilgaon’s Nandipara area in the capital.
Confirming the matter, Nahid’s mother Momtaz Nahar said that the family came to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police detective branch office in search of her son.
‘I came to know that 50–60 people identifying themselves as DB men picked my son from his friend’s house at Khilgaon’s Nandipara area at about 2:30am on Saturday,’ Momtaz told ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·.
Nahid’s parents, accompanied by three other coordinators, waited for an hour in front of the detective branch office in the capital’s Minto road area.
Later, the detective branch claimed that they were not aware of the incident and said that no unit of the Dhaka metropolitan police had detained Nahid.
‘I last spoke to my son at about 11:00pm on Friday and then his phone became switched off,’ Nahid’s mother added.
Nahid’s father Badrul Islam, a resident of Banasree, demanded recovery of his son.
Denying the allegations, detective branch media (administration) deputy commissioner Shahen Shah Mahmud said that none from their agency arrested anyone named Nahid.
‘The news had reached us but I can guarantee that no unit of DMP had arrested Nahid,’ he added.
He said that there were other agencies that could detain someone wearing plainclothes.
He also said that it was also easy for anyone to identify themselves as detective branch members.
‘We are already working to trace Nahid’s whereabouts,’ added the detective branch official.
The agency officials then took names and contacts of Nahid’s parents and three other coordinators so that they could inform them once they traced Nahid or if they got any clue.
The three coordinators are—Sarjis Alam, Hasib Al Islam and Hasnat Abdullah.
Sarjis in front of reporters outside the detective branch office urged the state and law enforcers to find out Nahid by 10:00pm on Saturday.
He also said that based on the updates of Nahid’s whereabouts they would receive they were going to announce tomorrow’s (Sunday’s) programme at midnight past Saturday.
Replying to a query, Sarjis said, ‘Actions, including arson attacks, vandalism and hurting innocent people, make the motive of the movement questionable. So, these can’t be actions of the protesting students.’
The coordinators also shared that they could not contact another coordinator Asif Mahmud since the internet connection snapped on Thursday night.
‘When he last contacted us, Asif said that he was in a safe place. After that message, we could not contact him but we cannot just claim that he was picked up same as Nahid,’ said Hasnat Abdullah, another coordinator of the platform.
Meanwhile, Ganoodhikar Parishad alleged that Rapid Action Battalion members picked its president Nurul Haque Nur at about 3:30pm from his residence in Rampura area.
‘His family members and leaders of the organisation went to the battalion office but they denied the allegations,’ said Abu Hanif, one of its leaders.
Protests began on July 1 following a High Court order on June 5 asking the government to restore 30 per cent quotas for the descendants of freedom fighters in civil service. Â
At least 136 were killed as of 10:00pm Saturday during the protests across the country since July 16.
Asked about detaining quota protesters by the detective branch, Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional deputy commissioner KN Roy Niyati said that he could not confirm anything about the matter.