Two Brothers Arrested Over 15 August Khichuri Gathering

Police in Kushtia’s Bheramara have arrested a Union Parishad chairman and his brother over allegations that they were secretly mobilising supporters and preparing khichuri in connection with 15 August.

The two men were arrested at around 11.30pm on Friday, 14 August, near Bahadurpur Union Parishad, close to Kuchiamora Bazar. Police said the operation followed information that a group of activists was gathering in the area ahead of 15 August.

The arrested men were identified as Sohel Rana Paban, chairman of Bahadurpur Union Parishad and former vice-president of the Bheramara upazila unit of the Bangladesh Awami Jubo League, and his brother Rubel Mahmud Ratan, who previously served as president of the Bahadurpur Union unit of the Bangladesh Awami Sechhasebak League.

According to Bheramara police, the two brothers had allegedly continued political activities discreetly for some time. Authorities received information that they were attempting to bring party activists together as part of a programme surrounding 15 August. Police subsequently conducted an operation in the vicinity of the Union Parishad.

Members of Bheramara Police Station, assisted by personnel from the Kuchiamora camp, took part in the operation. The two men were detained from the area beside the Union Parishad and subsequently taken to the police station.

Mohammad Abdus Salam, in-charge of the Kuchiamora camp, said police had received information that activists associated with the banned Awami League were preparing khichuri near the Union Parishad under the leadership of Paban and Ratan. The gathering was allegedly being used to organise supporters, prompting police to intervene.

Bheramara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Jahedur Rahman said the two men were considered active figures associated with the organisation whose activities have been prohibited. He said the arrests were made after police received information about an attempt to organise supporters and as part of efforts to maintain public order.

The officer said further action would be taken in accordance with the law.

The arrests come amid heightened sensitivity surrounding political activities linked to 15 August. The date has historically carried major political significance in Bangladesh, and gatherings or commemorative activities associated with the Awami League have become particularly sensitive amid the country’s changed political circumstances.

Police said their immediate concern was the reported gathering and the possibility of organised political activity. The allegations against the two men will be subject to the relevant legal process, and any further proceedings will depend on the findings of the authorities.

No independent account of the allegations from the arrested men was immediately available. Police have not indicated at this stage what specific charges will ultimately be brought against them.