Sylhet’s Kotwali Model Police Station arrested three students, including two from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), in connection with the student movement for quota reform in government jobs. The police arrested them from their residence in Nehari Para area through a police raid on Wednesday night. At afternoon On Thursday, five teachers of SUST went to the police station and freed the students in their custody.
Students said that police raids on the residences rented by the students around the university and other areas are increasing to suppress the ongoing anti-discrimination student movement. Their residences were raided in several areas last night as well. Police arrested three students during a raid in Nehari Para area adjacent to the university. The three arrested students are Monir Hossain, a former student of Public Administration Department of SUST; Md. Sohag, a student of Urban and Environmental Strategy Department of the same university and Anas Mia, a Zoology Department student of Murari Chand College of Sylhet. Later, when this news spread on the social media Facebook, 5 teachers from SUST Professor Dr. Ashraf Uddin, Professor Dr. Mozammel Haque, Prof. Dr. Saiful Islam, Prof. Dr. Khaledur Rahman and Professor Dr. Shah Md. Atiqul Haque went to the police station and took them back.
Professor Dr. Khaledur Rahman said that after finding out in the morning, the five colleagues contacted themselves and went to the police station to release them. The police did not file any charges against them. However, they said that they were detained on suspicion. Later, however, the students were handed over to us without any trouble.
Professor Ashraf Uddin did not find any answer that why shall the policemen raid the residences of the students and asked the question to the media persons with frustration.
He said, people will sleep at home at night, then why shall they be raided, this cannot happen. If only they do any destructive activity, then they could catch them from the spot. But it is not justifiable to raid innocent students like this. I spoke to the police station, the police said, there is no clear complaint against them; But they felt suspicious, so brought them to the police station. Later the police released the students in our custody.
