A dramatic scene unfolded outside the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Court when several detainees inside a prison van loudly chanted political slogans, including the iconic “Joy Bangla”. During the protest, one of the accused alleged that he had been unjustly detained, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
The incident occurred on Thursday evening, 18 December, as officers from Gazipur Metropolitan Police were preparing to transfer the detainees to the Kashimpur Central Jail. Witnesses reported that while the prison van was stationed outside the main courthouse, lawyers were addressing the media regarding a high-profile case. It was during this time that the detainees inside the van began shouting in protest, directing their statements at the assembled journalists.
One detainee vocally claimed, “We have been unfairly arrested,” adding that they were students who had been removed from their examination hall and taken directly to detention. The prisoners continued chanting slogans such as “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu” and “Sheikh Hasina Will Come, Bangladesh Will Smile,” asserting their political and personal grievances.
Among the detainees, a young man identified himself as Asif Ahmed Abhi, a twelfth-batch pharmacy student at Jagannath University. He stated that he had served as the central co-secretary of a now-banned student organisation, though details of his pending case were not immediately available. According to university sources, Abhi was detained on 22 October 2024 while attempting to sit his semester final examinations. On that morning, departmental students reportedly confronted him, and the situation escalated, prompting the department chairman to temporarily confine him in a secure room.
Later in the evening, following a decision by the university administration, he was handed over to Kotwali Police Station. Students had alleged that Abhi was involved in violence during a student protest at Dhaka University and had provided police with information about students who had sought refuge in the university dormitories.
Jagannath University Proctor, Professor Muhammad Tajammul Haque, clarified to the media that the student was transferred to police custody to prevent any untoward incidents during examinations and to ensure overall student safety. At the time, the then Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Police Station, Md. Enamul Haque, confirmed that the student had been received from the university administration and that all allegations would be investigated and addressed according to law.
This incident has reignited discussions on student rights, political activism on campus, and the procedures followed during high-tension situations within educational institutions.