Student leaders ‘not arrested,’ will be released once police deem them out of danger: Home Minister

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan has clarified that the five coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement “have not been arrested,” and they will be released once the police deem them out of danger.

Speaking to journalists at his office in the Secretariat on Sunday, the Home Minister explained the situation regarding the detention of the student leaders.

Five coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have been taken into police custody. When asked when they would be released to their families, the Home Minister said, “Look, they themselves said they were at risk. One of them told his father that he was in hiding for a special reason. They expressed their concerns about being in danger, so we took them into custody for their safety,” he said.

He further elaborated, “We are questioning them about which political parties or individuals may have incited them, leading to the violent turn of the movement. They are providing us with answers.”

The Home Minister emphasized, “We have not arrested them. They are in our custody. We are assessing their situation, and if we determine that they are no longer at risk, we will release them. If the police believe they are safe, they will be let go immediately. We have not formally arrested them.”

On Friday afternoon, police took Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud, and Abu Bakar Majumder, key coordinators of the quota reform movement, into custody from Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in Dhaka. Subsequently, on Saturday, two more coordinators, Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah, were detained by the Detective Branch (DB) of the police.