21 Arrested Over ‘Joy Bangla’ Chant at Funeral
Collected Photo
Police have filed two cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act over the chanting of ‘Joy Bangla’ at the funeral of freedom fighter Engineer Mosharraf Hossain. Authorities have arrested 21 leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organizations. Police said the now-banned Awami League had mobilized its members as part of a pre-planned political demonstration at the funeral.
According to police, 19 people were arrested from Kotwali Police Station and six from Khulshi Police Station on Thursday night. Two separate cases have been filed in the two police stations. Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (South) Hossain Mohammad Kabir Bhuiyan told Agamir Shomoy that initial investigations suggest the chanting and procession at the funeral did not occur spontaneously.
He said the event was pre-planned, adding that party leaders allegedly used the funeral as a religious gathering to organize a procession. He also claimed that instructions came from both domestic leaders and individuals abroad.
Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, a presidium member of the Awami League and former minister, died on Wednesday at the age of 83. His funeral was held Thursday morning at the Jamiatul Falah National Mosque ground in Chattogram. After the funeral, many Awami League leaders and activists chanted ‘Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu’ as they followed the hearse.
The slogans sparked widespread criticism on social media. In protest of permission granted for the funeral gathering, NCP staged a demonstration in Chattogram on Thursday night.
Kotwali Police Station said the case filed over the procession names 21 individuals, including the 19 arrested, and also lists 500–600 unidentified people as accused under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Police conducted raids across different parts of the city on Thursday night to detain the 19 individuals.
Those arrested include youth leaders Mohammad Mohiuddin, Suman, Imon, Mehedi Hasan, Sajib, Musa, Sohel, Monir, Raihan, Iliyas Milon, Jahidul Haque, Shahin, Sharif, Rakib Mia, Alamin, Saddam Hossain, Russel and Zainal.
Khulshi Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ariful Islam said four people were arrested on the spot during the procession, while two more were detained later at night. Police said all 21 arrested individuals were produced before a court on Friday afternoon and sent to jail.
