Attack on ethnic minority students near NCTB: 1 arrested in Motijheel

The Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Motijheel Division yesterday (12 February) arrested one Shahadat Farazi Shakib, 35, who had been booked in connection which broke out in front of the NCTB building in the capital in January.

Deputy Police Commissioner (DC) of the DMP Media Division Muhammad Talebur Rahman confirmed Shakib was arrested from Shyampur around 11pm.

Quoting DB, he said a case had been filed against 16 people, including the accused, and 200/300 unidentified people with the Motijheel Police Station on 17 January centring the attacks.

Earlier, police had arrested three people in connection with this incident.

Arrestee Shahadat Farazi Shakib was later sent to court over the case.

Attack in front of NCTB building

At least nine people were injured on 15 January in violence during simultaneous protest programmes by two groups — one supporting and the other opposing the removal of the image of graffiti with the word "Adivasi" in a textbook in front of the NCTB building in Dhaka.

The two groups are- the Aggrieved Indigenous Students and the Students for Sovereignty. The latter has been widely accused of launching the attack on the former, with two of its members apprehended the next day by the police for their involvement in the attacks.

Police said the detainees- Arif Al Khabir and Md Abbas - also used bandages and viodin, an ointment, to fake injuries on their heads.

The interim government in a statement condemned the attack and launched an investigation over the incident.

On 17 January, a case has been filed against 300 unknown individuals in connection with the attack with the Motijheel Police Station.