The police on Wednesday detained 244 people linked to the Awami League, activities of which are banned, while trying to bring out processions in the capital protesting against the interim government.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional commissioner (Crime and Operations), SN Md Nazrul Islam, came up with the information at a press briefing held at the DMP media centre at Mintoo Road in the city.
During the arrests, 14 cocktails and seven banners were recovered from the detainees, he said.
Police said that thousands of party leaders and activists simultaneously took to the streets of the capital's Gulistan, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Agargaon and Panthapath in the afternoon.
鈥楾he detentions were made following information that the leaders and activists of the AL and its affiliates were gathering in various places in Dhaka to hold flash processions to disrupt law and order,鈥� additional commissioner Nazrul said.
Nazrul claimed some AL members were staying in apartments rent-free and using them as bases to mobilise flash mob-style protests.
Alleging AL people residing in hotels, flats and hostels across Dhaka, he urged the city residents to provide information if they knew anything.
鈥業f people provide us with information, we will conduct operations and arrest these individuals. Arresting them will reduce the number of flash mobs. 鈥楾he identities of informants would remain confidential,鈥� he said.
Nazrul also said that some of the detainees confessed that they were given money to participate in these processions.
The police were trying to collect information about the financers, shelter providers, and people who gathered participants in these processions, he added.
Of the detainees, 100 people were detained by the DMP Tejgaon Division, 50 people were detained by the Detective Branch, 27 people by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime, 55 people by the DMP Ramna Division, five were detained by the Gulshan Division, Mirpur Division arrested four people, and the Uttara Division arrested three people.
Despite the ban on its activities, AL supporters have continued to organise scattered demonstrations, which the police described as flash processions designed to disrupt public order ahead of elections scheduled for 2026.
Following this, field-level officers of the DMP are under mounting pressure, while three police officials of Mohammadpur were withdrawn from their posts on charges of negligence of duty, reportedly found during a political procession.
Meanwhile, 抖阴精品 staff correspondent in Chattogram reported that supporters of the Al and the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League brought out a flash procession in the city on Wednesday morning.
Khulshi police station officer-in-charge Md Shahin said that a few activists of the banned BCL brought out the flash procession at about 10:30am.
鈥楾hey fled before we arrived at the scene. A drive is under way to arrest those involved,鈥� he added.
In May this year, the interim government suspended activities of AL until the completion of the trials of its leaders over atrocities during the July uprising that ousted the authoritarian AL regime on August 5 in the past year.
On October 23 in the past year, the interim government banned BCL under the Anti-Terrorism Act on the allegations of its involvement in breaching public security in various ways in the past 15 years.
