The Detective Branch (DB) says it has arrested 12 students on charges of inciting as well as engaging in violence during the road safety protests last month.
At a media briefing on Monday, Deputy Police Commissioner Md Masudur Rahman said the students, who he claims are activists of Jamaat-e-Islami’s student front Shibir, have been arrested on Sunday (Sept 9) from the capital’s Tejgaon area.
However, the families of the 12 students claimed at a press conference on Sunday that they were taken away by DB personnel on Wednesday (Sept 5).
Rahman, the spokesperson of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told the media on Monday that the arrestees included one Tarek Aziz, the ‘one of masterminds behind the rumours during the protest’.
The Detective Branch said Aziz has been arrested in a case filed under the ICT Act.
Charges of obstruction of police duty and attack on law enforcers have been brought against the 11 others.
They are Jahangir Alam, Md Mojahidul Islam, Md Al Amin, Jahirul Islam, Md Borhan Uddin, Iftekhar Alam, Mehedi Hasan Rajib, Md Mahfuz, Saifullah and Raihanul Abedin.
Police said uniforms and ID cards of different schools, megaphone, laptops, organisational documents of Shibir were among the materials seized from them.
Quoting information gleaned during initial questioning, DMP Deputy Commissioner Rahman said, “They were involved in spreading contents on Facebook and other social media sites in an effort to incite violence during the road safety protests.”
On Aug 6, hundreds of students blocked the street in front of the Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in Tejgaon, he said.
“Raising anti-government slogans, the students hurled stones and brickbats leaving several policemen injured. Tarek Aziz is one of the masterminds behind the social media initiative in an effort to divert the student protests.”
Later on Monday, the suspects were produced in court, where the police were granted two days in custody for interrogation.

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