Authorities in Dhaka detained nearly 300 individuals from the central office of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasod) on Saturday, citing concerns over alleged links to the banned Awami League. The operation was conducted by a team from Paltan Police Station following reports of a gathering associated with a prohibited organization at the party’s Paltan office.
According to Shafiqul Islam, an inspector in charge of investigations at Paltan Police Station, law enforcement officials acted after receiving information from leaders and activists of Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who reported that members inside the office were chanting "Joy Bangla" slogans, a phrase associated with the Awami League. Upon arriving, police encountered Jubo Dal members near the building and then entered the premises.
Inside the office, officers found a banner demanding the release of Hasanul Haq Inu, the Jasod chief and a former minister in the Awami League-led government, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in a crimes against humanity case related to the July uprising. Initial questioning saw those inside deny any affiliation with the Awami League.
By evening, a total of 289 individuals had been taken to Paltan Police Station for verification, reported Sakibul Alam Bhuiyan, Assistant Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Motijheel Zone. He stated that those proven to be linked with Jasod politics would be released, and that the investigation to ascertain Awami League involvement was ongoing.
Representatives of Jasod offered a different account of events. Secretary Sazzad Hossain told media outlets that BNP leaders and activists assaulted some Jasod members during a central representatives’ meeting inside the office earlier that day, despite the presence of police personnel. The meeting reportedly began around 10:30 a.m., with approximately 400 Jasod leaders and activists in attendance. Hossain added that none of those inside were permitted to leave freely, as police detained participants one by one. Among those taken into custody was Abu Zafar Surjo, a former president of the Dhaka Union of Journalists and Jasod supporter.
The incident drew condemnation from Bangladesh Chhatra Moitri, a leftist student organization, which called for the immediate release of the detained Jasod members. In a statement signed by publicity secretary Anik Dewan, Chhatra Moitri accused leaders of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, of having confined about 300 Jasod activists during the gathering. The statement alleged that Jubo Dal activists later arrived and handed over detained Jasod members to police officials. The group described the actions as a threat to democratic politics and urged authorities to identify and hold accountable those responsible for restricting freedom of expression.