Police release 249 people detained from Jasod office

Police on Sunday released 249 people who were detained from the central office of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasod) on suspicions they are linked to Awami League, a banned political party.

Police released them after checking their identity records with the list provided by Jasod and confirming that they were not banned political activists, said Sakibul Alam Bhuiyan, assistant commissioner of Motijheel division under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

Police continue to verify the identity of twenty-nine others detained from the spot on Saturday, he added.

No case has so far been filed over the alleged “secret meeting” of Awami League leaders at the Jasod office, he said.

Earlier, on Saturday, Rabiul Islam Noyon, a leader of Jubo Dal, the ruling BNP’s youth wing, took position near the Jasod central office in Gulistan, Dhaka, and claimed that a meeting was taking place inside with some Awami League leaders as participants.

Police later went to the office, and detained 278 people, including some journalists. At the time, Jasod was holding a central committee meeting, the leftist party said.