AL leader held with gun near party office

An Awami League leader was held with a licensed gun and eight bullets in front of the party’s Bangabandhu Avenue headquarters yesterday afternoon, hours before Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined a programme there.

MA Mannan, president of ward-49 AL under Dhaka South City Corporation, was detained when he was passing the area, police said.

The AL leader was carrying a firearm licensed with his name, Shiblee Noman, additional deputy commissioner (Motijheel division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star.

“Be it licensed or not, carrying a firearm to the venue of a VVIP’s programme is prohibited,” he added.

Paltan police were questioning him till filing of the report last night.