Eleven Held After Attack on Police

Eleven people, including a female schoolteacher, have been arrested in connection with an alleged attack on police officers in Sujanagar Upazila of Bangladesh’s Pabna district. The arrests followed a joint security operation launched after officers were reportedly assaulted while carrying out an overnight raid.

The woman arrested has been identified as Afroza Shikha, an assistant teacher at Mathurapur High School. According to law enforcement officials, she was among those detained during a special operation conducted from late Friday night until Saturday morning in Mathurapur village under the Bhayna Union.

Police said the incident dates back to the early hours of Wednesday, 15 July, when officers launched an operation in the village after receiving intelligence alleging that members and supporters of the banned Awami League’s Sujanagar Upazila unit and its affiliated organisations were planning acts of sabotage. Acting on that information, police entered the area to carry out the operation.

According to investigators, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker of a local mosque during the police operation, prompting a large number of people to gather at the scene. Police allege that supporters of the banned Awami League, along with other local residents, subsequently attacked the officers involved in the operation.

During the confrontation, two police vehicles were damaged, while two police officers sustained injuries. Among those hurt was Sujanagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Mozaffar Hossain, who was seriously injured in the attack. He was later transferred to Dhaka for advanced medical treatment.

Following the incident, authorities registered two separate criminal cases, alleging obstruction of police duties, assault on law enforcement personnel and acts of sabotage. Investigators have since launched a wider inquiry to identify those believed to have been involved in the violence.

Pabna Assistant Superintendent of Police (Sujanagar Circle), Sadiq Ahmed, said the cases had been filed in connection with the attack and confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing. He added that legal action would continue against anyone found to have participated in the assault or obstructed police in the discharge of their official responsibilities.

Officer-in-Charge Rashidul Islam of the Pabna Detective Branch (DB) said the latest arrests were made during a special operation conducted on the basis of the cases already filed. He confirmed that the eleven detainees, including the female teacher, had been taken into custody on allegations of attacking police officers and obstructing government officials while performing their duties.

Law enforcement authorities said the arrested individuals would be produced before the court in accordance with legal procedures. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident, and further arrests may follow if additional suspects are identified during the course of the investigation.