A Dhaka court has denied bail to former jute and textiles minister Abdul Latif Siddique and 15 others, ordering them to be sent to jail in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque issued the order on Friday, reports bdnews24.com.
They were arrested on Thursday following clashes during an event organised by Mancha 71 at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).
Police later filed a case accusing the 16 of involvement in a “mob attack” during the roundtable discussion, which was attended by freedom fighters, politicians and academics.
Tensions flared at Thursday`s event when a group under the banner of “July Warriors” encircled the attendees. Activists of the Segunbagicha ward unit of the BNP were also present.
Later, 14 people, including Latif and Dhaka University law professor Hafizur Rahman Karzon, were detained, and police announced that a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act had been filed against them.
Videos circulating online showed men shouting slogans around Latif, including, “Catch every
League man, drag them to jail”. One widely shared clip showed a freedom fighter being beaten, prompting public outcry.Witnesses described how several dozen men surrounded participants before the arrival of the event`s chief guest, former Gono Forum president Kamal Hossain.
“We had just started when Latif arrived, but Kamal hadn’t. Then 20-25 youths surrounded us and created chaos,” said freedom fighter Golam Mostafa.
At least two people, including activist Keshab Ranjan Sarkar and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader Abdullahil Kayum, suffered injuries in the violence.
The DRU later condemned the attack on participants and journalists, saying police had been warned of threats posted on Facebook the day before.
Police said Latif and others were detained “to prevent escalation”.
Meanwhile, a video claiming that Siddique’s ancestral home in Tangail had been set on fire began circulating on social media after the DRU incident. Local police called the footage fabricated and deployed officers to the residence, dismissing it as a rumour.
