JnU student who hurled bottle says he was in DB custody for 26hrs

A Jagannath University (JnU) student, who allegedly threw a bottle that struck Information Adviser Mahfuj Alam during a conversation with protesting students, claimed he was held in the custody of the Detective Branch (DB) of police for 26 hours and had received threats from an unknown number prior to his detention.

Speaking to reporters after his release on Friday evening, the student, Ishtiaq Hossain, said, "I was at the DB office from around 4:30pm Thursday to 6:40pm Friday. Before being picked up, I received a call from an unknown number threatening that I would be attacked by a mob."

He said although he was not physically tortured, he faced psychological pressure.

"They kept questioning me until late at night and didn't allow me to sleep," he alleged.

Ishtiaq also claimed that he was detained on Thursday but his family was only informed on Friday afternoon.

"For that entire duration, I was practically disappeared," he said.

He added that police checked his mobile phone and found no evidence of political affiliations.

"I've never been part of any political group, and they confirmed that through their own checks," he said.

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in a press statement issued last night said due legal procedures were followed during Ishtiaq's interrogation.

The statement said Ishtiaq's age, profession, and rights were taken into account, and "no procedural violations occurred".

According to the DMP, the incident occurred around 10:00pm on May 14 near the Kakrail Mosque, where Adviser Mahfuj was speaking to protesting JnU students.

During the exchange, someone from the crowd threw a water bottle, which struck the adviser on the head.

Police reviewed CCTV footage to identify the suspect and conducted digital forensic analysis, which initially pointed to Ishtiaq.

He was picked up around 9:00pm Thursday from his mess in Dhaka's Alubazar Pukurpar area, and his flat mates were informed at the time, the statement added.

He was taken to the DB office around 9:55pm for questioning.

The DMP said that around noon on Friday, Ishtiaq admitted to his involvement in the incident and expressed regret.

He also submitted a written undertaking promising not to repeat such actions, police said.

Following consultations with senior officials, police released him to his family.

He was handed over to his mother at 6:00pm Friday after completing legal formalities, according to the statement.

Teachers and students of JnU have been staging protests since May 14 with a four-point demand.

On the first day of the protests, Adviser Mahfuj visited the protests in Kakrail intersection to speak with the demonstrators. It was there that at one point, a student threw a water bottle at him.

Earlier, student protesters during their hunger strike at Kakrail intersection termed his detention "unfortunate" and maintained that they would not accept any form of "administrative repression".

JnU Oikya, a platform of students, teachers, and other stakeholders of Jagannath University, at the time issued a 2-hour ultimatum, saying they would besiege the DB office if the student was not released.