Awami League and Chhatra League Leaders Arrested in Separate Raids in Pirojpur's Nesharabad
Police have arrested an Awami League leader and a Chhatra League leader in separate raids in Nesharabad, Pirojpur. They were arrested on Thursday night.
The arrested men are Golam Sarwar (55), president of the Awami League in Ward No. 2 of Sohagdal Union, and Chhatra League leader Md. Abu Saeed (21).
Golam Sarwar was arrested on Thursday night by Pirojpur district Detective Branch (DB) police from Barchhakathi village in Sohagdal Union of the upazila. He is the son of the late Habib Gomosta of that village. On the same night, Abu Saeed was arrested from the Indurhat Bazar area of the upazila. He is the son of Chan Mia, a resident of Ward No. 8 of Dakshin Sohagdal village.
Police said Golam Sarwar is accused No. 20 named in the first information report of a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Nesharabad police station on 26 October. He had been on the run since the case was filed, and was arrested in a raid based on a tip-off.
The families of the arrested men claim they are being picked up from their homes at night because of their political identity. Police, however, say they were arrested on allegations of creating terror and anarchy and on the basis of involvement in specific incidents.
Local BNP and affiliate organisation leaders allege that, besides being involved in the politics of the Awami League, whose activities are banned, Golam Sarwar is a financier of the party's leaders and activists, and that there are various other allegations against him, including harassing local people. Denying the allegations, Golam Sarwar's relatives said he has been accused in a false case because of a political dispute.
Separately, police claim that on 25 October at around 2:30 pm, a flash procession led by Tamjid Islam Tanmoy, former organising secretary of the upazila Chhatra League, was brought out in the Indurhat area of the upazila. Abu Saeed took an active part in that procession, police said, adding that attempts were being made from the procession to create sabotage and carry out anti-state activities.
Nesharabad police station officer-in-charge (OC) Md. Mehdi Hasan said the DB police arrested Golam Sarwar in the Anti-Terrorism Act case, while Abu Saeed was arrested for directly taking part in the 25 October procession of the banned Chhatra League. He said Saeed had been trying to create an unstable situation in the area by posting various statuses on Facebook in favour of the organisation. The two arrested men are being sent to the Pirojpur court, the OC said.
