Students involved in the anti-discrimination student movement on Thursday detained Mohammad Sharif Mahmud Apu, the sub-regional director of Bangladesh Betar Chattogram and former public relations officer of the home ministry in Chattogram.
They demanded his arrest over his alleged role in past government actions against protesters.
The students claimed that Sharif Mahmud, who previously served as the public relations officer at the Ministry of Home Affairs, was involved in actions against the anti-discrimination student movement.聽
The incident took place in the Bangladesh Betar building near Banani Complex on the Agrabad Sheikh Mujib Road in Double Mooring police station area in Chattogram on Thursday.
鈥楽tudents involved in the local anti-discrimination movement have confined Apu in the Chattogram office of the sub-regional director of Bangladesh Betar,鈥� Double Mooring police officer-in-charge Kazi Rafiqul Islam said, adding that on information, since he is a government official, the Bangladesh Betar authorities are discussing the matter with the Chattogram deputy commissioner.鈥櫬�
Asked about the political affiliation of the students, the OC said, 鈥業t is not clear whether the students belong to any political party.鈥�
The officer also said that the students鈥� demand stemmed from an alleged curfew order issued on August 4 past year under a letter bearing his (Apu鈥檚) signature.聽
The OC said, 鈥楾he Anti-Corruption Commission has filed a case against the official and we have contacted the ACC and they will decide whether to take him into custody.鈥�
鈥榃e are now taking him into our custody,鈥� the OC added.聽
Sharif Mahmud Apu hails from Purnomati village at Burichang upazila in Cumilla. His father, engineer Joynal Abedin, is a member of the Awami League鈥檚 Cumilla south city unit and chairman of the Burichang Sadar union parishad. Sharif Mahmud Apu served as the public relations officer at the Ministry of Home Affairs for nearly a decade under Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, the former minister and a lawmaker for the Tejgaon-Hatirjheel constituency.聽
On February 25, the ACC filed a case against him, alleging that he had amassed illegal wealth worth Tk 58,99,997. 鈥楽ome individuals associated with the anti-discrimination student movement came to my office, calling me a fascist collaborator,鈥� Sharif Mahmud Apu said, adding that he is a government employee and that he simply followed government directives.
鈥業 was not the home minister鈥檚 personal public relations officer, but rather the ministry鈥檚 public relations officer,鈥� he said, adding that he executed the ministry鈥檚 instructions.聽
Following the student-led mass uprising that led to the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, he was transferred from the home ministry to Bangladesh Betar.