Police launched a major crackdown on the central office of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) in Dhaka’s Paltan area on Saturday, detaining hundreds of attendees during an official party meeting. Officers arrived in a fleet of prison vans while the central representative assembly was in progress, placing members in handcuffs before transporting them to Paltan Police Station.
The party maintained that the meeting was held with prior notification provided to the authorities. JSD officials confirmed that formal notifications had been submitted to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner, the Deputy Commissioner for the Motijheel Division, and the Officer-in-Charge of Paltan Police Station.
According to JSD Office Secretary Sajjad Hossain, tension flared at around 2:30 pm when activists associated with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its associate organisations forcibly entered the premises and caused a disturbance. Hossain stated that police arrived roughly half an hour later at 3:00 pm, escorted the BNP activists out of the building, and subsequently began detaining JSD representatives who had gathered from across the country.
Law enforcement officials offered a contrasting justification for the operation. Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Motijheel Division, Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid, stated that officers acted on intelligence indicating that members of the banned Awami League and its affiliate organisations had assembled at the party office to plan sabotage or other unlawful acts. Rashid initially estimated the number of detainees to be between 280 and 300, though JSD leaders claimed nearly 400 representatives were present and taken into custody. Police also alleged that chants of “Joy Bangla” were heard from inside the venue prior to the raid.
Among those detained was Abu Jafor Surjo, former president of a faction of the Dhaka Journalists’ Union. Surjo, who was attending the meeting in a professional capacity, posted a photograph on social media showing himself in handcuffs. He noted that officers led him and several others away without initially disclosing their destination or the grounds for their detention.
JSD leadership firmly rejected the police claims regarding the presence of banned political figures. Hossain described the allegations as baseless, asserting that the gathering was a routine organizational meeting comprising legitimate party delegates.
Police stated that all detainees were taken to Paltan Police Station to verify their identities and political affiliations. Authorities confirmed that individuals found to have no involvement in illegal activities would be released, whilst formal legal measures would be pursued against anyone linked to sabotage. The mass detention has sparked widespread debate regarding political freedoms, civil liberties, and the police procedures employed during permitted political gatherings.
