Leaders and activists of the banned Awami League and its student wing Chhatra League staged a series of flash processions across the capital on Wednesday afternoon, prompting a large police crackdown.
The sudden demonstrations began shortly after 2:00 p.m. in Dhaka’s Panthapath area and lasted only a few minutes. Police later recovered several crude bombs—known locally as “cocktails”—abandoned near the Pani Bhaban. Videos uploaded to Awami League’s social media pages showed similar rallies in Farmgate, the Parliament area, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Hatirjheel, and Gulistan.
Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Muhammad Talebur Rahman said members of the banned Awami League and its affiliates were attempting to destabilize law and order through sudden flash marches in Farmgate, Pani Bhaban, and Tejgaon.
“During operations in the Tejgaon area, several leaders and activists of the banned party and its affiliates were arrested with crude bombs,” he said, adding that DMP teams remain active across the city.
The Detective Branch (DB) of police separately reported detaining 25 people from one location.
Talebur Rahman added that DMP Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) S.N. Md. Nazrul Islam would brief the media in detail at the DMP Media Center later in the day.
According to the DMP, the special crackdown remains ongoing and the number of arrests may rise further.
