From ‘DB office’, 6 organisers lift protest programme

Six organisers of the quota reform protest, who are in custody of the Detective Branch of police, yesterday announced the withdrawal of their protest programmes apparently from the DB office on Minto Road in the capital.

Nahid Islam, one of the key organisers, along with five other coordinators made the announcement via video message, which was distributed to media outlets from the DB office.

Nahid was seen reading out a statement last night, minutes after a photo posted by Harun or Rashid, chief of the DMP's detective branch, on Facebook that showed them having food with Harun in a room apparently at the DB office.

The Daily Star could not reach Nahid despite repeated calls to his phone.

"Many people were unexpectedly injured and killed due to the quota reform movement and the situation that arose in its wake. Moreover, there were many incidents of violence, including torching of government buildings. We strongly condemn all these untoward incidents and demand speedy justice through fair investigation," said the statement.

"Our main demand was logical quota reform which has already been fulfilled by the government. Now we strongly urge the government to open educational institutions to ensure a fair environment for education. In the interest of all, we are withdrawing our programmes right now," he said.

On Friday night, Nahid, Asif Mahmud, and Abu Baker Majumder -- three key organisers of the quota reform movement -- were picked up by the DB from a city hospital, where Nahid and Asif were receiving treatment.

The DB on Saturday took two more protest organisers -- Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah -- into their custody, saying the move was "to ensure their security and to get information about recent incidents".

Protest organiser Nusrat Tabassum, a student of political science at Dhaka University, was picked up from her cousin's home in Mirpur early yesterday.

She was seen in the photo posted by Harun and also alongside Nahid in the video message.

Meanwhile, rejecting the statement of the six coordinators, Abdul Kader, another coordinator of Quota reform protest, announced protest rallies across the country today.

Kader via WhatsApp said he strongly condemns the scripted statement of the coordinators made "at the DB office at gunpoint".

He said they were determined and will remain firm on their demands.

In the meantime, a seventh organiser was also picked up allegedly by DB officers.

Some eight to 10 men in plain clothes, identifying themselves as DB officials, picked up protest organiser Arif Sohel, a student of international relations at Jahangirnagar University, from his home near the campus around 4:00am, said Arif's younger sister Umme Khair Hridi.

"At 3:50am, the group of DB men gathered in front of the house and asked us to open the gate. When my father wanted to know their identities, they said they were DB police and showed their IDs. As we didn't want to open the gate, they threatened to break the gate down. Later we opened it, and they entered and took everyone's phones," Hridi told our Savar correspondent.

"They took some pictures from Arif's computer and then took Arif and my elder brother. They said they would take them to the Ashulia Police Station.

"Later, my elder brother was released in Genda area. But we have not been able to find Arif," she said.

Asked, Riaz Uddin Ahmed Biplab, officer-in-charge of Dhaka district North DB Police, told The Daily Star that no JU leader of quota reform protest was picked up.

Besides, men in plain clothes posing as detectives also detained Asif Mahtab, a former teacher of BRAC University, at his Uttara home early yesterday, his family said.

Shahabur Rahman, father of Asif, went to the DB office on Minto Road yesterday to know the whereabouts of his son.

He said his son was picked up from their Uttara home by a group of people identifying themselves as DB officials early yesterday.

"I want to know where he is. I want to know whether he is still alive," he said.