Five alumni of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Sust), who were detained from Dhaka for providing financial support to Vice Chancellor (VC) Farid Uddin Ahmed's resignation movement on campus, were granted bail yesterday.
Sylhet’s Second Metropolitan Magistrate Court Judge Md Sumon Bhuiyan issued the order after Jalalabad police produced them in court.
Police did not file any remand prayer, according to BM Ashraf Ullah Taher, additional deputy commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP).
The five are Habibur Rahman Khan, 26, of Tangail; Reza Nur Muin, 31, of Bogra; Nazmus Sakib Dwip, 32, of Khulna; AKM Maruf Hossain, 27, of Dhaka; and Faisal Ahmed, 27, of Comilla.
Of them, Nazmus Sakib is affected by Covid-19. He was admitted to the Covid Isolation Centre of Shaheed Shamsuddin Hospital.
According to Jalalabad Police Station sources, Sujat Ahmed Layek, a resident of Ambarkhana Majumdari Mosque Lane in Sylhet City and organizing secretary of Sylhet District Tanti League, filed the case with Jalalabad police station.
Layek claimed: "Those 5 Jamaat-Shibir people are helping the protesting students with money. As a conscious citizen, I have filed a case. It seems that Jamaat-Shibir has a hand in the protest. The agitating students are being encouraged with money."
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According to the case, the accused aided in blocking a road and engaging in extortion, threatening people and causing damage worth Tk100,000.
It was alleged in the case that mobs used to obstruct the road, forcibly extort money, collect extortion money and then resort to intimidation, causing a loss to the tune of Tk 1 lakh.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police BM Ashraf Ullah Taher said that in addition to the five accused in the case, another 100 to 150 unidentified persons had been shown as accused in the case.
Families and friends of the arrested persons have alleged that they were arrested for providing financial support to the SUST movement.
The matter came to light on Tuesday amid protests and a hunger strike at Sust demanding the removal of VC Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed over police repression on the students on January 16.
The agitating students broke their fast-unto-death on Wednesday after former Sust teacher and noted educationist Prof Zafar Iqbal visited the campus in the morning, and assured them of taking measures to meet their demands.