The Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) Detective Branch (DB) has said recent attacks on metro rail stations were coordinated by Chhatra Dal Joint Secretary Abu Hannan Talukdar and led by Imam Al Naser Mishuk, general secretary of the Dhaka University Shahidullah Hall unit.
In connection with the vandalism and arson at Mirpur 10 and Kazipara stations, four individuals, including Chhatra Dal leaders, have been arrested by the Cyber Crime Department of the DB.
According to the DB, the attack on the Mirpur metro rail station was planned, and between 1,000 and 1,500 people participated in this coordinated assault.
The four arrested include Bajlul Rahman (Bijoy), senior joint secretary of the Dhaka University Bijoy Ekattor Hall unit, and Md Ferdous (Rubel), vice president of the National University unit.
DB chief Harunor Rashid provided these details at a press conference held at the DB office on Minto Road in the capital on Sunday.
He said: “Jamaat-BNP activists have used the student movement to launch attacks and vandalize state establishments across various parts of the capital. Specifically, those responsible for setting fire to the metro rail, the Setu Bhaban, and attacking and killing police officers will be apprehended one by one.”
“We have arrested individuals involved in the killing of police officers in Jatrabari. Additionally, four people have been detained in connection with the arson at the Kazipara and Mirpur 10 metro stations on July 19,” he added.
The DB chief said that Abu Hannan was the mastermind behind the metro station attacks. Under the direction of BNP leaders Sultan Salahuddin Tuku and Saiful Islam Nirab, Hannan and his associates set fire to the metro stations. The names of two other leaders involved, including BNP leader Srabon, who has already been arrested, were also disclosed.
He emphasized: “BNP leaders tasked four to five individuals with carrying out the arson at the metro stations to render them unusable for the public.”
“We have gathered substantial information about those involved in the arson and attacks on police at the metro stations. While we have arrested these four individuals, our operations continue to apprehend the remaining suspects,” he added.
He also addressed the severity of the situation: “You are aware that a former mayor’s assistant was hanged, and a passerby was dragged for a kilometre under the mistaken belief that he was a police officer. These brutal attacks and killings are indicative of the severity of the violence.”
“Many believe they can evade justice by fleeing Dhaka, but that will not be the case. Legal cases have been filed, and the DB is actively investigating. We will not spare anyone involved,” he added.
In response to a question from journalists, he said: “There was a deliberate plan to incite chaos surrounding the students' quota movement. Those who incited violence and supplied weapons will also be apprehended.”