One of two suspects arrested in connection with the attack on the Democratic Student Alliance’s program by left-wing student organizations in Chittagong has been granted bail.
On Thursday afternoon, Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Abu Bakkar Siddiq issued the bail order after hearing the case.
The other accused, Md Selim, was denied bail and ordered to be sent to prison.
Confirming the matter, Mofiz Uddin, additional deputy commissioner (Prosecution) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, said: “The two accused were produced before the court under the speedy trial law filed by police at Kotwali police station. Their lawyers applied for bail.”
He added: “One accused, Obaidur Rahman, is an eighth-semester law student at the private BGC Trust University. As his exams are ongoing, the court granted his bail application, while the other accused was sent to jail.”
The Democratic Student Alliance had announced a program on Wednesday afternoon protesting the acquittal of Jamaat leader ATM Azharul Islam from a death sentence in a war crimes case. Shortly after the program began, the “Anti-Shahbagh Movement” brought a procession to the site.
Around 3:30pm, when the two groups confronted each other, the police attempted to disperse them. At that time, members of the Anti-Shahbagh Movement attacked the leaders and activists of the student alliance, injuring 12 people.
Police arrested Obaidur and Selim at the scene of the attack. Filing a case under the speedy trial law at Kotwali police station, police named the two detainees and 20 unknown individuals as accused.
The case alleged that the accused, armed with local weapons including machetes and iron rods, had engaged in sudden, organized displays of dominance, creating panic and terror among the public and obstructing road traffic.
Following the detention of the two suspects, leaders of the Anti-Shahbagh Movement organized a program after the evening prayer (Isha), demanding their release.
They staged a sit-in outside Kotwali police station from around 8:30pm until 11pm, leaving only after talks with senior police officials.
Meanwhile, a video of the attack circulated on the social media platform Facebook. The clip shows a man kicking two people, including a woman, from behind.
Witnesses and student alliance members identified the man who kicked the people as a former member of the student wing of Jamaat, known locally as a “Shibir cadre”.
However, the student wing denies involvement, saying the individual holds no responsible position and that no members were involved in the incident.
The 15-second video shows the leaders and activists of the Democratic Student Alliance taking shelter under a building near the Press Club after the attack. A police officer is also seen there.
The person, evading the view of police personnel, approaches the activists from behind. Standing there, he suddenly kicks one person, then turns around and kicks a woman as well.
Abrar Hasan Riyad, chief coordinator of the Anti-Shahbagh Movement, claimed: “Under the guise of the Shahbagh movement, these left-wing organizations had previously assisted Sheikh Hasina’s fascism. Now they are conspiring again. We will resist.”