Dhaka, Nov 15 (IANS) Four Awami League activists were arrested by police in the Azimpur area of Bangladesh's Dhaka, local media reported on Sunday.

The arrested men include the Awami League's Paschim Sahadebpur union unit General Secretary Md Sohrab Hossain alias Sumon Mia, 40, Organising Secretary Mohammad Jahangir Alam, 46, and unit members Md Russel Ahammed, 42, and Md Mofizul Islam, 50, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Deputy Commissioner, Media, Akhtar Hossain said that a team from Lalbagh Police Station conducted a drive at Azimpur Samaj Kalyan Goli at around 10.15 p.m. (local time) on Saturday and arrested them.

Hossain said the arrested Awami League activists organised and participated in a procession along with leaders and activists of the Awami League and its associate bodies near Azimpur Orphanage Market on November 13, UNB reported. The four Awami League activists were arrested by police when they were holding a secret meeting at Hossain's house in Azimpur.

The latest arrest comes against the backdrop of an escalating crackdown on Awami League leaders and activists that began during the period of the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim government and has persisted under the now-ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

On November 2, a Bangladesh court ordered that Awami League leader and former lawmaker B.M. Mozammel Haque be shown arrested in connection with an attempted murder case during the 2024 July protests in Dhaka's Bhatara area, local media reported.

The order was issued by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ehsanul Islam in the afternoon after hearing an application moved by Sub-Inspector Habibur Rahman of Bhatara Police Station, the investigating officer of the case.

According to the case statement, the complainant Shamim Mia participated in the mass uprising in Dhaka's Bhatara area on July 19, 2024. He sustained four bullet wounds in different parts of his body during the demonstration.

After receiving medical treatment, Shamim filed an attempted murder case against several people, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s leading newspaper 'The Daily Observer' reported. B M Mozammel Haque, who was named as an accused in the initial First Information Report (FIR), was subsequently shown arrested in connection with the case.

--IANS

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