Police arrested Workers Party of Bangladesh President Rashed Khan Menon on Thursday.

He was picked up from his Gulshan residence in the evening, said Obaidur Rahman, additional deputy commissioner (media and public relations) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

While talking to the Daily Sun, he, however, could not say in which case Menon was arrested.

The Workers Party chief is an accused in a case filed with the International Crimes Tribunal over the killing of college student Alvi in Mirpur of the capital during the recent students’ movement for quota reform. He is also accused in another case filed with the tribunal for committing crimes against humanity and genocide during the 2013 Hefazat-e-Islam rally at Motijheel’s Shapla Chattar.

Menon was a former lawmaker from Barishal-2, Dhaka-8 and Bakerganj-9 constituencies. He was the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Education. Earlier, he served as the minister for civil aviation and tourism.

The Workers Party is a part of the 14-party alliance formed in 2008.

When the first phase of the quota reform movement reached its peak, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with the 14-party alliance leaders at Ganabhaban in the capitalon 19 July.

After the meeting, the government imposed a countrywide curfew from 12:00am on that night.

On 29 July, the Awami League-led 14-party alliance held another meeting at Ganabhaban and unanimously decided to ban Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

Sources said Menon and other leaders of the alliance also decided to go tough on the protesters aiming to suppress the protests.

Earlier, police and Rapid Action Battalion arrested former State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Captain (retd) AB Tajul Islam, Awami League Organising Secretary and ex-MP Ahmad Hossain, ex-MP of Cox’s Bazar-4 (Ukhiya-Teknaf) constituency Abdur Rahman Bodi, former Chairman of Chittagong Port and sacked Rear Admiral Mohammad Sohail, former chief news editor of the private channel Ekattor TV Shakil Ahmed and his wife and former principal correspondent Farzana Rupa from Dhaka and Chattogram on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

On 13 August, former Law Minister Anisul Huq and ex-PM’s Private Industry Affairs Adviser Salman F Rahman were held from Sadarghat area. They were shown arrested in a murder case filed with New Market Police Station.

On 14 August, former Deputy Speaker Shamsul Hoque Tuku, former State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak and General Secretary of Dhaka University Bangladesh Chhatra League Tanvir Hasan Shaykat were held from Nikunja. They were shown arrested in a murder case filed with Paltan Police Station.

On 16 August, former Minister for Water Resources Ramesh Chandra Sen was arrested from his house in Thakurgaon. He was shown arrested in a murder case. On the day, sacked Major General Ziaul Ahsan, who was former director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center, was captured after army personnel handed him over to police. He was shown arrested in a murder case filed with New Market Police Station.

On 19 August, former Social Welfare Minister Dr Dipu Moni and former Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports Arif Khan Joy were held from the capital and shown arrested in the Abu Sayeed murder case filed with Mohammadpur Police Station.