Police have filed a case against 200 people over a "secret" meeting organised by the Awami League, whose activities are currently banned, at a resort in Sylhet's Gowainghat upazila under the guise of a picnic and educational tour.
The case names 20 individuals, including former MP Ranjit Sarkar, while 180 others have been listed as unidentified. Four of the named accused have been arrested.
A source at Gowainghat police station confirmed the information at 1am on Wednesday.
Sohel Square Eco Resort sealed; 4 arrested
Meanwhile, authorities sealed Sohel Square Eco Resort in the Ratargul area around 3am on Wednesday and arrested four people, including two resort employees.
The arrestees are Raju Islam, 16, son of Sonafor Ali of Murarban village in Sunamganj Sadar upazila; Farhad Ahmad, 19, son of Taher Uddin of the same village; Faruk Ahmad, 59, son of the late Shafiqur Rahman of Khasbarhal village in Gowainghat upazila; and Ali Hossain, 34, son of Abdul Khalik of Nayabasti village in the same upazila.
Gowainghat police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Omar Faruk said the four had been formally arrested in connection with the case and produced before a court.
According to reports, on November 8, a lawyer named Rokon Mia rented Sohel Square Eco Resort in Ratargul, claiming it was for an educational tour. A banner announcing the tour was initially displayed at the venue. However, Ranjit Sarkar, organising secretary of the Sylhet district Awami League and former MP for the Sunamganj-1 constituency, later arrived at the resort.
He put up party banners, briefly addressed his followers and then left the venue.
The incident sparked nationwide controversy after Ranjit posted a video of his speech at the meeting on his personal Facebook account at 4:49pm last Monday.
Law enforcement agencies took immediate action after the video circulated on social media. Based on the footage, Sunamganj district police arrested Tara Mia, organising secretary of the Tahirpur upazila Awami League. He was subsequently sent to jail by court order.
Within hours of the video emerging, an angry mob set fire to Ranjit Sarkar's residence in the Gopaltila area of Sylhet city around midnight on Monday.
Following the incident, both Ranjit and the resort owner went into hiding. Various sources claim that Ranjit has fled the country again.
Meanwhile, questions have been raised over the role of local BNP leaders and other political figures in the incident.
It has been alleged that Sohel, owner of Sohel Square Eco Resort, is a cousin of Mahbub Alam, president of the Gowainghat upazila BNP.
The fact that a resort owned by a relative of a senior opposition leader was used to host a clandestine meeting involving prominent Awami League leaders has triggered public outrage and criticism in political circles. Questions have also been raised over the apparent lack of effective action following the incident.
