Police in Narayanganj have arrested three people, including a lawyer representing former Narayanganj City Corporation mayor Dr Selina Hayat Ivy, in connection with an old case under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The arrests followed allegations that the slogan ‘Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu’ was chanted at a court premises while Ivy attended a hearing in a separate murder case.
Those arrested are Advocate Ziaul Islam Kajal, a former president of the Narayanganj Cultural Alliance and a recitation artist; lawyer Mahbubur Rahman Tushar; and Atikul Islam, Kajal’s brother.
The three were detained during separate operations at their homes on Allama Iqbal Road and Deobhog Pakka Road in Narayanganj early on Wednesday. Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Tarek Al Mehedi confirmed the arrests.
Police cite an old anti-terrorism case
According to Al Mehedi, the arrests followed an incident on Tuesday when Ivy appeared before the Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge’s Court in connection with a murder case arising from the anti-discrimination student movement.
The police official said slogans supporting the Awami League were reportedly chanted on the court premises at the time. The three individuals were subsequently shown as arrested in an old case under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Al Mehedi said their names did not appear in the original first information report (FIR). However, police had arrested them as suspects in the interests of the investigation and sent them to court.
Mahbubur Rahman Tushar is the son of Mohammad Asaduzzaman, a former public prosecutor at the District and Sessions Judge’s Court.
The police account has been disputed by colleagues of the two lawyers, who maintain that they were present at the court in their professional capacity and did not participate in any chanting.
Ivy granted bail in separate murder case
The arrests came a day after a court granted bail to Ivy in the Tuhin murder case in Siddhirganj, Narayanganj. Ivy, a former mayor and Awami League politician, is named as an accused in the case.
She appeared in person before the court on Tuesday morning. The hearing was conducted by Judge Mohammad Abu Shamim Azad of the Narayanganj District and Sessions Judge’s Court.
After being granted bail, Ivy did not respond to journalists’ questions. However, just before getting into her car, she said, “Joy Bangla cannot be suppressed.”
Her remark came amid heightened political sensitivities surrounding the slogan and the activities of the Awami League. The reported chanting at the court premises subsequently became a key point in the police explanation for the arrests.
The bail order in Ivy’s murder case and the arrests of the three individuals relate to separate legal proceedings. Police have linked the arrests to an older anti-terrorism case, rather than to the murder case in which Ivy appeared.
Colleagues challenge the allegations
Lawyers and cultural activists who know Kajal and Tushar have rejected the allegation that the two men chanted slogans at the court.
They said both lawyers were among Ivy’s legal representatives and had attended the hearing with case documents as part of their professional duties. According to their account, neither man took part in any chanting.
Kajal is a prominent figure in Narayanganj’s cultural community. A recitation artist and former president of the Narayanganj Cultural Alliance, he has participated in campaigns against violence, extortion and the killing of Tanvir Muhammad Taqi, a young student whose death became a major public issue in the city.
His colleagues also said he had been active during the anti-discrimination student movement in 2024. At the time, the Cultural Alliance organised programmes in support of students and members of the public, with Kajal serving as its president.
Rafiu Rabby, an adviser to the alliance, condemned the arrests and questioned the police’s justification.
Rabby said Kajal had consistently taken part in campaigns against violence, killings and extortion. He also recalled Kajal’s role in the alliance’s activities during the 2024 movement.
Rejecting the grounds cited by police, Rabby said the alliance opposed the arrests and would protest against the action.
Police defend their decision
Responding to the criticism, Additional Superintendent of Police Tarek Al Mehedi said a person’s past position might differ from their present circumstances. He maintained that the arrests had been made for the purposes of the investigation.
The case has exposed a clear disagreement between the police and the arrested men’s colleagues over what happened at the court premises. Police have cited the reported slogans as the basis for action under an existing anti-terrorism case, while the lawyers’ colleagues insist that the two legal professionals were there solely to perform their duties.
With the three men’s names absent from the original FIR, questions about the grounds for their arrest and their alleged involvement remain matters for the investigation and judicial proceedings to address. The allegations have yet to be established through the legal process.
