Quota protest: DB picks up three organisers from hospital

Police yesterday afternoon picked up Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Abu Baker Majumder, three key organisers of the quota reform protests, from a city hospital where Nahid and Asif were undergoing treatment.

Junaed Alam Sharker, additional deputy commissioner of the Detective Brach of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the three were taken into DB custody as they sought security.

"We will interrogate them about the incidents that took place in the last two days," he told The Daily Star around 12:15 today.

In the evening yesterday, families of the three and hospital staffers said a group of people in plainclothes went to the Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in the capital's Dhanmondi at 3:30pm and forcibly took them out to an undisclosed place.

The plainclothes men picked up Nahid from his cabin on the sixth floor of the hospital. They then went to Asif's cabin on the second floor. They also picked up Baker while he was bringing food for Asif.

They took away the mobile phones of Nahid, his sister Fatima Tasnim, Asif and Baker.

Fatima said her brother is not involved in any anti-government activities. "They are not affiliated with any political parties. We urge all to ensure our safety."

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This is the second time the trio -- all students of Dhaka University -- have been picked up in just a week.

Nahid was picked up in the early hours of July 20 allegedly by law enforcers from a house in the capital's Sabujbagh. He alleged that he was tortured physically until he lost unconsciousness. When he gained consciousness, he found himself under a bridge in Purbachal. He went to his home by a CNG-run auto rickshaw.

Both Asif and Bakar were picked up on July 19. The two wrote on Facebook that they were blindfolded and left in Hatirjheel and Dhanmondi areas on July 24. Neither of them mentioned who picked them up.

This paper could not reach the family members of the three early today for comments as their phones were switched off.

As per an earlier announcement, the coordinators of the anti-quota protests were scheduled to brief the media about the overall situation at a press briefing in front of the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital yesterdayevening.

Abdul Hannan Masud, coordinator of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, told journalists that they would hold the briefing at 7:30pm.

Journalists from different media outlets waited at the hospital, but the coordinators did not appear until 8:30pm.

Contacted, Masud told The Daily Star at 8:35pm that they were under "huge pressure" and doubtful about holding the press briefing.

The anti-quota quota protesters could not hold the briefing as of 9:30pm.