A group named Ahingsha Gana Andolon Bangladesh (Non-Violent Mass Uprising) allegedly attempted to gather one million people at Shahbagh in the capital by promising Tk1 lakh loans to participants.
The organization claimed they would bring back laundered money from abroad and distribute loans only to those who attended the rally.
Starting on Sunday night, people from across the country began arriving in Dhaka via buses, pick-up trucks and microbuses headed toward Shahbag.
Some vehicles came with banners titled “Grand rally at Shahbagh.”
However, police and students of Dhaka University intervened to convince the crowd to return home.
By Monday morning, severe traffic congestion was reported in the Shahbagh and TSC areas.
When questioned by Dhaka Tribune, most of those who had travelled to the capital admitted they were unaware of the rally’s true purpose.
They claimed they had been enticed with promises of Tk1 lakh in loans and alleged that many were charged a Tk1,000 registration fee to participate in the rally.
Regarding the matter, Shahbagh police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shahabuddin Shahin said that the organization had sought permission to assemble one million people at Shahbagh, but the request was denied.
“They misled rural people into believing they would receive Tk1 lakh in loans for attending the rally. We did not allow them to gather,” the OC added.
The passengers came with some printed leaflets that identified Mostafa Amin as the convener of Ahingsha Gana Andolon Bangladesh.
A woman who came from Narayanganj by bus said she was told that attending the Shahbagh rally would entitle her to a loan of Tk1 lakh, repayable at Tk3,000-4,000 monthly.
When contacted, a senior official of Ramna divisional police confirmed that several people, including Mostafa Amin, were taken into custody for questioning.
“We are interrogating a number of individuals handed over to us by university students. After verifying the details, appropriate action will be taken,” he said.
Several sources said that Ahingsha Gana Andolon Bangladesh is a platform that started working in the last few months in several parts of the country. The organizers made promises to the poor villagers that they would try to manage soft loans for them.
Earlier, after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, when mass people started to gather with several demands before Jamuna, the official residence of the Chief Adviser, a small group of Ahingsha Gana Andolon Bangladesh also presented their demands.
During the media interview, some of them were seen to claim that they had come to Jamuna to get soft loans so that they could start some small businesses.
Most of them were poor villagers and were unaware of the process of getting loans.
When contacted, a senior official of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police told Dhaka Tribune on Monday night that the police are trying to find out why the people gathered in Dhaka suddenly and what the reason was.
When asked, Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md Nahid Islam told reporters on Monday evening: “People have been brought to Shahbagh from outside Dhaka by propaganda. The organizer has been taken into police custody already,”
“I don't think so many incidents in one day are a coincidence. There is a conspiracy to disrupt the government's work and defeat the government's goals. There are also some national and international issues. The investigation is going on as to who is involved in these matters. Action will be taken according to the law,” he added while speaking at the Foreign Service Academy.
11 detained in Lakhimpur
Eleven people have been detained in Kamalnagar upazila of Lakhimpur for their alleged bid to take some impoverished people to Dhaka with promises of interest-free loans.
Police and army personnel detained them from Koraitola Bazar of Kamalnagar upazila after locals intercepted three buses and four microbuses carrying over 300 people, including women and teenagers, when they were going to join the rally organized by Ahingsha Gana Andolon Bangladesh.
Upon receiving information from locals, the army and police detained them and seized the vehicles on Sunday night, said Kamalnagar police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Tahidul Islam said on Monday morning.
OC Tahidul Islam said the main perpetrators could not be traced yet.
“The DMP did not approve any such rally. The so-called rally has been cancelled," the OC added.
73 detained in Tangail
At least 73 people were detained from two different locations in Tangail when they were travelling to Dhaka by bus.
The Bhuapur police station officers said that Ahingsha Gana Andolon Bangladesh had tempted people with promises of interest-free loans ranging from Tk1 lakh to Tk1 crore. During the detention, cash and leaflets of the organization were found in their possession.