3 detained by cops released on NCP leader’s bond

Three young men, including a now former leader of the Students Against Discrimination, who were detained on Monday night following an altercation with police in the capital's Dhanmondi, were released yesterday.

Police let them go after Abdul Hannan Masud, senior joint chief coordinator of the National Citizen Party, gave an undertaking that the men would not engage in such activities in the future.

One of the three men, Saiful Islam Rabbi, was the coordinator of the Mohammadpur unit of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD).

The SAD, which spearheaded the movement that led to the fall of Awami League regime, wrote on Facebook later that Saiful Islam Rabbi has been relieved of all organisational duties "due to moral misconduct".

Dhanmondi police earlier said they detained Rabbi and two others after they tried to forcibly enter the residence of a publisher, accusing him of being a "fascist agent".

When police went to the scene, they asked officers to arrest the publisher. As police pointed out that there was no complaint against the publisher, the men engaged in a heated argument with police.

The officers then detained them.

A video of the incident went viral on Facebook.

Shah Mostafa Tariquzzaman, assistant commissioner (Dhanmondi) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said, "The three individuals were released after Hannan Masud took their responsibility. He gave a bond. Since we received an undertaking and no cases have been filed, we released them in accordance with the law."

Hannan told reporters at Dhanmondi Police Station that there was a misunderstanding that he "came to help resolve".

He added, "Looks like certain groups are trying to use our people for their personal interests…. I received a message from our student coordinator and came to check. We will investigate [the men] internally and take action."

DMP STATEMENT

Someone called the national emergency helpline (999) around 12:30am on May 20, reporting that several individuals were trying to break into a house on road 4, Dhanmondi, said a DMP statement.

Police responded swiftly and found 15-20 people attempting to enter the premises by force. Officers tried to calm the situation, but the group became aggressive and insisted that police arrest one Golam Mostafa.

"As no complaint had been filed against the man, an arrest was not legally possible," the statement read. "To prevent disorder, three individuals were taken into custody and released around 3:30pm [Tuesday]."

The DMP urges people not to take the law into their own hands, it added.