Nearly 3,000 people arrested from AL flash rallies in 10 months

Dhaka Metropolitan Police have arrested 46 activists of the Awami League and its affiliated bodies during flash rallies across the city.

According to police, the arrests were made on Friday from different parts of the capital.

With these latest detentions, nearly 3,000 people have been arrested from Awami League processions in the first 10 months of this year.

At a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre on Friday afternoon, Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Mohammad Talebur Rahman said: “Banned organisations have repeatedly tried to create panic in the public mind by staging flash rallies in the capital. In response, DMP today [Friday] arrested 46 activists of the banned Awami League and its associate bodies from various locations.”

According to Talebur: Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police arrested 18 people; Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit detained 13; Khilkhet Police arrested 4; Uttara West police 2; Badda Police 3; Banani Police 3; Tejgaon police 3.

He said the detainees are “members” of the Awami League, which is banned from carrying out political activities. Most of them came from outside Dhaka to join the rallies.

Among them are members of the party’s front organisations from Trishal, Sylhet, Fenchuganj, Satkhira, Bogura, Barguna and Kushtia Islamic University units, the officer added.

Referring to the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar arrests, Rahman said 18 people were picked up when 90–100 people gathered for a rally around 6:45am on Friday.

The DMP remains active to curb “subversive acts” under the guise of rallies, Talebur said, adding that regular cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act have been filed against the detainees. Authorities are verifying whether they are linked to other criminal activities.

On whether the arrests were targeted, Talebur replied: “Many of those we arrested today, and earlier, came from outside Dhaka to take part in these flash rallies. Some are being financed by others. Each participant receives a specific payment for joining a rally.”

He described the rallies as an attempt to assert political presence and to “spread fear” in the city:

 “They march, take photos and videos, and circulate them on social media to show they are still active.”

Rejecting the suggestion of mass arrests, he said: “These are not arbitrary detentions. We arrest only those found at the flash rally sites, based on specific charges. After verifying their background, we forward them to court if satisfied.”

Talebur said the DMP is also working to stop those travelling from outside Dhaka to join such rallies.

 “You’ve seen earlier that we arrested 244 people in one day and 131 on another. We are maintaining surveillance, especially on those coming from outside the capital.”

Asked about financial incentives, he said: “A person won’t come from outside Dhaka unless there’s a specific amount to cover travel, accommodation and meals. They’re being motivated through financial incentives. We’re tracking those funding them and will bring them under the law.”

Summing up the year’s record, Talebur said about 3,000 people have been arrested so far from flash rallies, all detained directly from the scene or for active participation.

 “Political activities may rise ahead of the elections -- that’s natural,” he added. “We’re proceeding with election preparations, keeping that in mind. There’s no cause for public fear. The DMP has full capacity to prevent any subversive act.”