Police arrested 35 people, including school and madrasah students, from a programme of Phulkuri Ashar, a national children organisation, in the city’s Daulatpur area on Tuesday.

Phulkuri Ashar Bhairab region president Azizur Rahman was among the arrestees.

Phulkuri Ashar Khulna unit members said the divisional unit arranged a four-day programme at Deyana High School starting Tuesday on the occasion of the Independence Day after getting police permission.

Several hundred students from different schools and madrasahs of Khulna division took part in the opening programme in the morning where Khulna City Corporation mayor Mohammad Moniruzzaman was supposed to be present as the chief gust.

As the organisation started its opening ceremony around 10am as per its schedule, a team of Daulatpur Police Station suddenly cordoned off them and detained 110 people, including students.

However, police released 75 of them at the police station and produced the rest 35 before a court showing them arrested under the Section 54 which sent tem to jail.

Assistant director of Bhairab Phulkuri Ashar Kamal Ahmed claimed police also took away three laptops, a desktop computer, a tab, a camera, 34 mobile phone sets and Tk 56,000 in cash from the spot.

Officer-in-charge of Daulatpur Police Station Shafiqur Rahman said they had secret information that an anti-state meeting was being held at a school with the students of schools and colleges in the name of Phulkuri Ashar.

A total of 110 people were picked up from the spot, he said, adding that 35 were shown arrested under Section 54 and the rest freed.

UNB/RI