Police have released Udichi member Syeda Ratna and her son, nearly 12 hours after their detention on charges of "spreading hate speech" as she protested the construction of a police station on a playground at Kalabagan.
Ratna and her son Mohammad Isha Abdullah Piyangsu, an HSC examinee, were released from Kalabagan police station in the small hours of Monday, said Udichi General Secretary Jamshed Anwar Tapan.
He added that they would brief the media about their next course of action at a press conference in the afternoon.
Around 9pm, the activists of Udichi and environmental groups started agitation in front of the police station demanding their release. Many people also criticized the detention on social media, saying that the Tetultola playground is important for the children and arranging social programs.
The people who expressed solidarity with the cause on Sunday night included Udichi leaders and activists and Rizwana Hasan, the chief executive of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).
Ratna, the coordinator of Tetultola Math Rokkhya Andolan, Ratna was live-streaming the construction of a boundary wall on Facebook at the time of her detention around 11am on Sunday.
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Her son Mohammad Isha Abdullah Piyangsu, 17, was also detained when he went to the field after learning about the matter.
Sharif Mohammad Faruquzzaman, a senior assistant police commissioner of New Market zone, confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune. She was spreading hate speech on social media. She would be interrogated and a case would be filed against her.
Local people say the detention follows Ratna and her son’s strong role in protesting the construction work for a long time.
More than 50 police personnel were deployed in the area to secure the site on Sunday. Police members started storing bricks there the previous night.
Syeda Ratna Bangla TribuneIf any proof of spreading hate speech on social media is found against her, she might be booked under the Digital Security Act.
The officer alleged that Ratna had hired some children to hamper the construction work.
On January 31, the Dhaka deputy commissioner's office handed over the playground's land to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to set up the police station.
Following the move, residents in the area became vocal and refused to give up hope to retain the playground.
For several months, they have been demonstrating to protect the playground so that the children in the area can play there. Locals also organize Eid congregations and funerals in the field.
