Police intensify stop and search operation at Aminbazar ahead of Friday rallies
The intensified search operation began at 9pm on Thursday (27 July), resulting in slower traffic movement on the Dhaka-bound lane
Police have beefed up its stop and search operations at Aminbazar, the entrance to the capital on the Dhaka-Aricha highway, ahead of massive rallies by the BNP and associate organisation of the Awami League scheduled for today.
The intensified search operation began at 9pm on Thursday (27 July), resulting in slower traffic movement on the Dhaka-bound lane.
Earlier in the morning, district police members were on high alert outside the 20-Bed Hospital in Aminbazar, Savar. Later in the night, police set-up barricades on the Dhaka-bound lane and started searching passenger vehicles, including high-speed microbuses.
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They were seen inspecting bags of suspicious passengers and interrogating them.
After searching and questioning till 9am on Friday (28 July), more than 60 people were seen being taken inside Aminbazar 20-bed hospital. The detainees were then taken to a prison van on the way to Savar police station.
The Business Standard spoke to several people who were detained inside the Aminbazar 20-bed hospital after interrogation and search.
A man named Fazlul Haque, who was detained there, said, "Two of us left for Dhaka in a Hiace microbus from Chandra to buy goods for business in the morning. When the car arrived at the check post, the police stopped and interrogated us. The police later checked the mobile and found a photo of the BNP rally on my Facebook, so they locked us both here, not letting us go anywhere. They also took our mobile phone."
Sohail, who was detained while on his way from Rangpur to Dhaka at the check post, said, "There is a training session at brac. We two friends left for Dhaka in the night on a bus. At the check post in the morning, the police wanted to know where I was going. Later, the police detained me as I did not have an identity card. My friend was let go since he had a Brac card."
However, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Savar Model Police Station, Deepak Chandra Saha, who was present at the check post, said the search was a part of their routine work.
Dhaka District Additional Superintendent of Police (crime), Abdulla Hil Kafi, stated that routine search activities were being emphasised due to the upcoming events of two political parties in Dhaka, with the aim to prevent any potential acts of anarchy.
