Three Chhatra League Leaders Arrested in Narsingdi

Police have arrested three leaders of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, whose activities are currently banned, in Narsingdi following allegations that they took part in a sudden procession in the town.

The three were arrested during separate police operations in different parts of Narsingdi town on Friday night, 7 August.

Those arrested are Tamzid Ahmed Joy, 20, organisational secretary of Narsingdi town Chhatra League; Syed Rabbi, also known as Rabbi Mia, 27, vice-president of Ward 6 of the town unit; and Bijoy Saha, 26, religious and relief affairs secretary of the town unit.

Police said Joy lives in West Kandapara in Narsingdi town. Rabbi is a tenant at the house of Hafiz Mia in the Kumilla Colony area of Satirpara, while Saha is a resident of East Brahmandi.

The arrests followed a procession allegedly organised by a group of Chhatra League leaders and activists in Narsingdi town on Thursday. According to police, the procession was held suddenly and those involved dispersed quickly before officers could reach the scene after receiving information about it.

Short video clips of the procession were later circulated on social media and in various media outlets. Police subsequently began efforts to identify those involved by examining closed-circuit television footage collected from different parts of the town.

Investigators used the footage to trace individuals suspected of participating in the procession. Following the analysis, police conducted operations at separate locations and arrested the three men.

Narsingdi Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge A R M Al-Mamun said police had gathered information about the incident and reviewed CCTV footage from different areas of the town as part of efforts to prevent activities that could affect the law-and-order situation.

He said the three men were arrested over their alleged involvement in the procession and that the process of taking necessary legal action against them was under way.

The officer added that police operations would continue to identify and bring to justice others allegedly involved in the procession.

The arrests come against the backdrop of heightened police monitoring of political activities involving organisations whose activities have been prohibited. In such cases, law-enforcement agencies rely on on-the-ground intelligence, video evidence and CCTV footage to identify participants and determine whether further legal action is warranted.

Police have not disclosed further details about the specific legal provisions under which the three men are being proceeded against. The allegations against them will ultimately be subject to due legal process.