Nur, other Gono Odhikar members injured after alleged BCL attack at DU

Nurul Haque Nur and 20 other leaders and activists of the Gono Odhikar Parishad were attacked allegedly by activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) on Wednesday (2 August) afternoon. 

Gono Odhikar members came under attack when the party activists, led by Nur, brought out a procession at Dhaka University's TSC premises, according to party leaders.

"BCL leaders and activists attacked the procession at TSC and beat up Gono Odhikar Parishad leaders and activists, including Nur," said Gono Odhikar leader Shakil Uzzaman.

He said they staged the procession protesting the recent attacks on and cases against opposition political party leaders and activists, the murder of a madrasa student Rezaul, and the arrest of BUET students.

Meanwhile, Tanbir Hasan Shaikat, general secretary of BCL's DU unit, said no BCL activists were involved in the attack; rather the general students were protesting the entry of outsiders.

Nur was taken to the Islami Bank Central Hospital in Kakrail while many others were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Earlier, the Detective Branch of police, in plainclothes, early Wednesday raided the house of Nur at Mohanagar Project in the capital and arrested Chhatra Odhikar Parishad President Bin Yamin Mollah.

Bin Yamin was arrested in a case filed by Moshiuzzaman, leader of another faction of the party, with Paltan police station over vandalism at Gono Odhikar Parishad office building, police said.

Talking to reporters, DB Chief and DMP Additional Commissioner Harun-or-Rashid said they raided the apartment to arrest an accused of a vandalism case.

Asked about DB raiding in plainclothes, DMP Spokesperson and Deputy Commissioner Faruk Hossain said the DB of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has to wear their DB inscribed jackets, equipped with Quick Response (QR) code containing unique confidential numbers, during any operation.

"We will ask the DB members involved in the raid why they had not put on DB jackets during the raid in Nur's apartment," said DC Faruk.

Bin Yamin was produced before the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court on Wednesday where he was granted bail, said the party leader Abu Hanif.

Bin Yamin, however, was shown arrested in another case filed over protesting against the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bangladesh in 2021, Hanif said. 

Earlier on Tuesday, the DB also picked up Yamin's father, who was later released from DB custody at Minto Road, he added.

Meanwhile, Nur alleged that DB officers broke his apartment's gate and searched his house. He streamed the raid live on Facebook.

Briefing the media, Nur alleged that one of the DB officers was "drunk and misbehaved during the raid".

He alleged that the DB team in plainclothes broke the door of his house at about 2:00am and arrested Bin Yamin Mollah.

Nur said, as he refused to open the door, DB members broke the door of his house.

He also alleged that DB men took away the CCTV hard drive and the mobile phone which he used to go on Facebook live during the incident.