Former lawmaker Abdul Latif Siddiqui and Dhaka University Professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman (Karzon) were confined by a group identifying themselves as “July Fighters” during a roundtable discussion in Dhaka on Thursday and later handed over to police.
The incident took place at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), where the platform Manch 71 organized a discussion titled “Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh.” Eminent jurist and one of the framers of the Constitution, Dr. Kamal Hossain, was scheduled to attend as chief guest. Although the event was set to begin at 10 a.m., it started an hour later.
Professor Hafizur Rahman, from the DU Law Department, was the first speaker. He alleged that efforts were underway to undermine the Constitution, claiming Jamaat-e-Islami, the National Citizen Party (NCP), and Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus were behind a conspiracy to humiliate freedom fighters.
Soon after his remarks, a group of people entered the DRU auditorium chanting slogans such as “The weapons of July must roar again,” “Catch League men, fill the jails,” and “Unite, July Fighters, fight on.” They tore down banners of the event and blocked participants inside.
Around 12:15 p.m., a team from Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrived. The group then handed over at least 15 participants, including Latif Siddiqui and Professor Hafizur Rahman, to police officials led by ADC Asaduzzaman. A police presence remained outside DRU at the time of reporting.
Speaking to reporters, former MP Latif Siddiqui said, “I did not expect any trouble here. I have no ties with the Awami League. I only came because I was invited.”
Al Amin Russel, who identified himself as part of the July Fighters, told journalists, “We will not allow fallen Awami League, Jubo League, and banned Chhatra League elements to conspire here. As long as July Fighters live, we won’t tolerate such activities.”
Shamim Hossain, a Jamaat-e-Islami leader from Paltan, added, “Some are trying to pit 1971 against 2024 to undermine the present struggle. For us, ’71 is our foundation and ’24 is our liberation. Those gathered here are linked to the killings of 2024, many of them are already facing cases. We didn’t take the law into our own hands; we handed them over to police.”
Other participants at the discussion included former secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan and Manch 71 convener Professor Abdullah Al Mahmud.
