Police foil Hizb ut-Tahrir procession in the capital
Police charged truncheons and fired teargas shells to disperse a procession taken out by banned outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir in the capital's Baitul Mukarram area yesterday.
Police detained several people from the spot.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Witnesses said the outfit activists brought out the procession as part of its "March for Khilafat" programme after Juma prayers at the national mosque.
The procession was intercepted twice before it reached the Paltan intersection. As the procession moved from Paltan towards Bijoynagar, it was blocked by police.
At that point, the law enforcers dispersed them by firing teargas shells, sound grenades, and charging truncheons.
After this, Hizb ut-Tahrir men attempted to regroup and resume the march, but police dispersed them. This back and forth lasted for around 30 minutes.
Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Ramna Division), said the Hizb ut-Tahrir activists tried to bring out a procession, but law enforcers removed them.
Meanwhile, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, the LGRD adviser, secured the release of a detainee named Arman Ali, an employee of a shop at Karwan Bazar wholesale market.
Arman was seen chasing and beating up Hizb ut-Tahrir operatives alongside police personnel and was later picked up by the law enforcers. A video of the incident went viral on social media.
Knowing about the incident, Asif went to the Detective Branch office, secured his release, and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.
Talking to reporters, Asif said he secured Arman's release as he thought Arman was innocent.
Over the past few days, the banned outfit put up posters across the city, urging people to join the "March for Khilafat".
In response, Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Thursday, in a statement, said that any activities under the banner of the outfit are punishable under anti-terrorism laws.
The government outlawed Hizb ut-Tahrir in 2009, considering it a threat to public security.
Under the Anti-Terrorism Act-2009, any form of gathering, procession, distribution of posters and leaflets, or promotional activities by banned outfits is a criminal offence.
If any banned organisation, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, attempts to hold meetings, rallies, or engage in any form of publicity, necessary legal action will be taken, the DMP said in the statement.
In another development, police detained three members of the outfit from the Uttara area yesterday, hours before the procession started.
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