6 JCD men arrested over Nayapaltan clash

Police arrested six Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal men for their alleged involvement in the November 14 clash with law enforcers in front of the BNP central office in Nayapaltan.

They were arrested in Sutrapur on Monday night after police identified them in the footage and images of the incident, Additional Commissioner Monirul Islam, the spokesperson of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said at a press briefing at DMP media centre. 

The arrested are HK Hossain Ali, JCD president post aspirant of ward-11; Sohagh Bhuiyan, general secretary of Shajahanpur thana unit; Mohammad Abbas Ali, a member of JCD Central Committee; Md Ashraful Islam Robin, joint general secretary of Dhaka North unit; Jakir Hossain Ujjal, joint secretary of Jagannath University unit; and Mahbubul Alam, vice president of Titumir College unit.

Though police claimed that they were arrested in Sutrapur on Monday, Sohagh's family earlier claimed that “being threatened with arrest”, his sister Selina Akhter handed Sohagh over to the Detective Branch of police from a relative's house in Dhaka's Dania at 7:00am on Sunday.

A Dhaka court yesterday granted a five-day remand for each of the six.

Monirul said some of the arrestees were seen damaging police vehicles and some wielding sticks. Police are trying to identify and arrest the man who set fire to a police van, he said.

Monirul Islam said the attack on police was pre-planned; it was to instigate police to go for action and videotape it.

The aim was to gain a political advantage through circulating the clips, but police dealt with that situation with utmost patience, he said, adding that police are arresting only those involved in criminal offence.

Asked about the investigation of the deaths of two teenagers caught in a clash between two groups of the ruling Awami League, Monirul said one was already arrested but he did not know about the updates of the investigation.

A journalist asked why police are reluctant to arrest the helmeted youths who carried out attacks on journalists during the road safety movement on August 5 when police could arrest attackers on law enforcers in a couple of days. In reply, Monirul said, “Investigation is going on. We will ensure proper investigation and bring the attackers to book.”

With the six, at least 78 persons were arrested in three cases filed with Paltan Police Station following the Nayapaltan clash. Senior BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi are among 488 named accused in the cases.