6 arrested Chhatra Dal men obtained weapons on orders of BNP leaders, says police

The six Chhatra Dal leaders arrested in Dhaka obtained weapons from two districts on the instructions of high-ups in the BNP and its student front, according to the detectives.

The men were arrested during a raid on a house in Lalbagh on Saturday, said Joint Commissioner Khondoker Nurunnabi of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

The Detective Branch (DB) of police has admitted arresting a total of 18 BNP activists including six missing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leaders who were picked up from Lalbagh in the capital on Saturday.

Among them, 12 persons including former BNP MP Salahuddin Ahmed's son Tanvir Ahmed Robin were arrested from Nightingale crossing and surroundings of BNP central office at Naya Paltan in the capital on Saturday night.

Addressing a press conference at about 11:30am on Sunday, the DB said three arms were seized from the arrested former and present JCD leaders. "They were collecting arms at the directive of BNP central leaders ahead of the upcoming general elections."

However, except BNP's Dhaka City South acting member secretary Tanvir Ahmed Robin, the DB didn't disclose the names of rest 11 others arrested on Saturday night. Two cases were filed against the arrested persons under the Arms Act and Special Powers Act.

Earlier on Saturday morning, Dhaka University JCD's senior joint general secretary Mominul Huq Jishan went missing after he came out of his Azimpur residence. Having failed to find Jishan over phone, several JCD leaders went to Mominul's house. When they reached Mominul's house premises at Azimpur, members of a law enforcing agency in plainclothes picked them up from there.

 They were JCD central assistant general secretary Shahadat Hossain, DU JCD vice-president Md Hasanur Rahman, joint general secretary Abdullah Al Riad, DU F Rahman Hall unit's joint general secretary Shariful Islam and Jahangirnagar University JCD's former joint general secretary Zahir Uddin Mohammad Babar.

Addressing a press conference at the DMP Media Centre on Sunday, DB's joint commissioner Khondaker Nurunnabi said three arms were seized from the six arrested persons. Two arms were collected from Pabna, while another from Teknaf. The DB official claimed that they learnt after interrogating the arrested persons that "they collected the arms to destabilise the country through violence and subversive acts centring the next general elections." "They planned to collect arms at the directives of BNP central leaders. The DB also learnt from who they had collected the arms contacting over social media. Efforts are on to arrest them."

Asked why steps are not taken against the ruling Awami League activists who brandish arms at different processions and meetings, and if the DB was going to take any measures against them, the DB official avoided an answer.

 "The arrested said the high command of the BNP and its student wing's units at Dhaka University and other private universities were planning to bolster the party's protest movement," said Nurunnabi.