Police have arrested 18 people after activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League staged a rally in Cumilla, chanting slogans calling for ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina to return to the country in December.
Additional Superintendent of Cumilla District Police Md Lutfor Rahman confirmed the arrests on Saturday.
Those detained include Ahsan Uddin Tutul, a former president of Cumilla district Chhatra League. He is known to be a follower of AKM Bahauddin Bahar, president of the Cumilla metropolitan unit of the Awami League.
The rally took place on Friday on the Nurpur-Telikona road near Chawkbazar in Cumilla city, while the sermon preceding Friday prayers was underway.
A video of the march later circulated on social media, showing participants carrying a banner and chanting “Joy Bangla” and slogans demanding Hasina’s return. Some participants were seen carrying sticks and wearing masks.
According to police, investigators identified the participants by reviewing the video. Members of the district Detective Branch (DB) and Kotwali Model Police Station subsequently conducted raids across different parts of the city from Friday afternoon into the night, arresting 18 people.
Police said efforts were underway to identify and arrest other participants in the rally, Lutfor Rahman added.
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