Dhaka University law Prof Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karzon, one of 16 people arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act after a 'mob attack' at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, has told a court that the allegations brought by the state are 'false' and demanded justice.
Produced before a magistrate's court in Dhaka on Friday alongside former minister Abdul Latif Siddique and others, Karzon stood in the dock and said they were "victims, not criminals".
He asked for their immediate release and sought Tk 50 million in compensation for what he described as harassment, saying that their constitutional rights had been violated.
"We were attacked by a mob and then arrested instead of those who carried out the assault," Karzon told the court.
"We are the victims. We demand redress. Release us immediately. We have been humiliated and demand Tk 50 million in compensation. Grant us bail immediately. We don't belong to any political party."
While some of the detainees sought bail, Latif, who was expelled from the Awami League in 2014, did not. They were subsequently sent to jail by the court in response to a police petition to keep them in custody.
The arrests stem from an incident on Thursday, when Latif and other veterans of the 1971 Liberation War came under attack during a roundtable discussion at the Dhaka Reporters Unity. The event, titled "Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh", was organised by the platform Mancha 71.
The programme was coordinated by Gono Forum leader Prof Abdullah Al Mahmud (Bir Protik) and senior Supreme Court lawyer ZI Khan Panna. Former Gono Forum president Kamal Hossain had been invited as the chief guest. But before his arrival, a group of men in their 20s and 30s, identifying themselves as "July Warriors", stormed the hall while chanting slogans.
Videos circulated widely on social media show the men, reportedly linked to Jamaat-e-Islami's student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir, locking the doors and tearing down banners for the event. They surrounded Latif and other elderly participants, harassing and assaulting them. �"bdnews24.com
