Relatives crowd Dhaka court to catch sight of loved ones in prison vans

An elderly couple rushed towards a prison van after it stopped in front of the lockup of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka around 12:45pm today.

"Mother, I am here," Ratan called out from the prison van.

Then Khalil Talukder and his wife Jamila Khatun, residents of the capital's Kamrangirchar, went to their lawyer after seeing his 22-year-old son in the van.

Arrested as a suspect, Ratan was produced before the court in a case filed with Kamrangirchar Police Station on May 23, say the case documents submitted by police.

"My elder son [Ratan] was arrested at Kamrangirchar's Borogram last night. He pulls a rickshaw in the area. We depend on his income as I cannot work properly due to illness," Khalil told The Daily Star.

"He is not engaged in any politics. But a few days ago, he was seen near a BNP rally," he added.

According to court records, around 217 people, mostly BNP men, were produced before the CMM court today after they were arrested on Thursday from different parts of the capital in some 65 cases filed on different dates last year and this year.

BNP is scheduled to hold a rally in Nayapaltan tomorrow.

More than 500 people like Khalil and Jamila were gathered at the court today, on a weekend, to see their family members who got arrested throughout the capital on Thursday. In usual times, there is a sparse presence of people at the court premises on a Friday morning.

Jamila said, "Upon learning that Ratan had been arrested, we rushed to the police station around 9:00pm last night (Thursday), but we failed to meet our son until 2:00am."

Ratan's parents said police told them he was arrested after they found him in a picture of a BNP rally.

Mostafa Anwar, officer-in-charge of Kamrangirchar Police Station, said, "We arrested only those who have a case or arrest warrant against them."

Similar to the couple, many people were seen gathering at the court to see their kin who had been arrested on Thursday.

A 30-year-old woman was waiting on the stairs of the ground floor of the Court with some food for her husband, Al-Amin Rajib.

A local water trader, he was arrested at Bangshal's Nazira Bazar the previous night around 9:30pm in connection with a case filed on July 30. "My husband was a supporter of BNP before 2018. Since 2018, he has been out of politics," said his wife.  

One Mohsin Ali, 55, who sells cake in the locality, was also arrested with him.

Mohsin's lawyer Gazi Muhammad Shukkur Ali told The Daily Star, "My client is a stroke patient and has no connection with BNP politics."

Kowsir Howlader, 30, was arrested at Gausia Market under the New Market Police Station on the same day, in a case filed on May 24.

His two elder brothers, Rasel and Masud Howlader, came to the Court from Patuakhali this afternoon.

"Police in a prison van told us my brother was seen attending a BNP gathering a few months ago. So, he was arrested," said Rasel.