Police drives, arrests continue

At least 354 more people were arrested in the capital and elsewhere in the 36 hours till 6:00pm yesterday as the nationwide crackdown on alleged saboteurs as well as protesters and opposition parties continues.

Of them, 215 were arrested by police in 29 districts.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) produced the 139 people arrested in the capital before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court.

The court sent most of them to jail and placed some on remand.

With the latest arrest, at least 10,488 people, including students and members of the BNP and Jamaat-Shibir, have been arrested in 672 cases filed in the capital and 51 districts over the last 13 days since July 18.

Several thousand named and several hundred thousand unnamed individuals have been accused in these cases.

The cases were filed, mostly by police, with different police stations over violence, vandalism, and arson, said DMP sources.

In the cases, police brought charges of gathering illegally, rioting, assaulting law enforcers, and damaging properties.

The country witnessed violence on an unprecedented scale after the peaceful demonstrations for quota reform turned deadly on July 15 when Chhatra League attacked the protesting students on different university campuses.

Biplob Kumar Sarker, joint commissioner (operations) of the DMP, stated at a briefing yesterday that block raids are to continue.

He also claimed that so far, 2,850 people have been arrested and some 264 cases have been filed with 50 police stations under the DMP in connection with the recent acts of sabotage and killings in the capital.

However, DMP sources had earlier said some 2,822 people were arrested in 243 cases till Monday.

Biplob also said that these cases would be investigated fairly and impartially.

Replying to a query, Biplob said law enforcers would be withdrawn from duty and prosecuted to the full extent of the law if there was any proof that they were demanding money from detainees or their families for their release.

Asked about video footage of police shooting unarmed citizens, he said, "Every incident has to be judged individually. For each case of police firing reported, the context under which it happened will be reviewed. We will ensure a fair investigation in each case."

Among those arrested in 29 districts in the 36 hours till 6:00pm yesterday, two are in Thakurgaon, five in Madaripur, six in Rangpur, three in Feni, four in Sylhet, four in Tangail, one in Moulvibazar, three in Habiganj, 20 in Rajshahi, 10 in Bogura, six in Gaibandha, nine in Narsingdi, 23 in Narayanganj, one in Khulna, 17 in Pabna, five in Mymensingh, four in Kishoreganj, two in Netrokona, five in Satkhira, one in Cox's Bazar, seven in Cumilla, two in Natore, 46 in Chattogram, two in Lalmonirhat, five in Nilphamari, eight in Noakhali, five in Laxmipur, three in Brahmanbaria, and six in Barishal.

MORE ON REMAND

A Dhaka court yesterday placed former Jubo Dal general secretary SM Jahangir and BNP's Vice-Chairman Barkatullah Bulu's son Omar Sharif Md Imran, alias Saniat on a five-day remand each in connection with a case filed over the vandalism of the Mirpur-10 Metro Station on July 19.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Farzana Shakila Sumu Chowdhury passed the order after DB inspector Shikder Mohitul Alam produced them before the court with a 10-day remand prayer.

The same court rejected the bail petition of BNP's International Affairs Secretary Nasir Uddin Ahmed Ashim and sent him to jail on completion of his three-day remand in the same case.

Besides, the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Saifur Rahman placed Bangladesh Jatiyo Party (Manzu) Chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho on a fresh three-day remand in a case filed over the attack on Setu Bhaban in Dhaka on July 18.

The same court sent Rezaul Hasanat David, chairman and CEO of Viyellatex Group, to jail on completion of his five-day remand in the same case.

On July 25, Partho and David were placed on a five-day remand each in the same case.

The same court yesterday placed Nazmus Shakib and Tauhid Ibn Badar, students of Titumir College, on a four-day remand each in the same case after they were produced before the court with a 10-day remand prayer.