Over 5,500 held in one week

At least 738 more people were arrested in the capital and several other districts in 36 hours till 6:00pm yesterday in connection with the recent violence across the country.

As of yesterday, over 5,522 people, including many BNP and Jamaat leaders, were held in different parts of the country over the last seven days.

So far, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested 2,357 people in 209 cases filed with different police stations over violence, vandalism, and arson at government establishments and other places, said sources in DMP.

Of them, 148 were held yesterday.

According to court documents, 211 people, including several BNP and Jamaat leaders, were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka, in 67 cases yesterday.

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A total of 4,784 people were arrested earlier in Dhaka and other districts.

Police held 324 people in 12 districts in 36 hours between 6:00am Thursday and 6:00pm yesterday.

Of them, 154 were arrested in Rajshahi, 64 in Narayanganj, 41 in Chattogram, 1 in Patuakhali, three in Gazipur, seven in Mymensingh, 15 in Kishoreganj, seven in Sylhet, eight in Bogura, two in Gaibandha, 15 in Savar, and seven in Manikganj.

As of Thursday, 173 cases were filed in 18 districts, including eight in Narayanganj and one in Chattogram. Nine of them were lodged on Thursday.

Rab yesterday morning said they arrested 266 people across the country, including 63 in Dhaka, in connection with the violence.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court yesterday sent former Ducsu VP Nurul Haque Nur to jail after his five-day remand in a case lodged over vandalising and setting fire to Setu Bhaban on July 18.

In a press release yesterday, Gono Odhikar Parishad alleged that Nur, also the president of the organisation, was tortured during remand.

"When Nur was produced before the court, he could not walk properly. He  limped towards the dock. He told his wife and lawyer that he was tortured and beaten up during remand," said the release.

In another development, a Dhaka court yesterday sent six leaders of BNP and Jamaat, including BNP Publicity Affairs Secretary Sultan Salauddin Tuku, to jail, after completion of five-day remand in a case lodged over vandalising the BTV Bhaban in Rampura.

The five other accused are BNP leaders Qazi Sayedul Alam Babul, Aminul Haque, MA Salam, Mahmudus Salehin, and Jamaat Secretary General Miah Golam Parwar.

At a press briefing yesterday, Harun Or Rashid, additional commissioner (Detective Branch) of DMP, said they arrested six people, including Demra thana unit Chhatra Dal convener Masud Rana, in different parts of the capital over the killings of two policemen in Jatrabari and Shanir Akhra.

The five others are Irfan, Abu Bakar, Rabiul Islam, Sourav Mia, and Tarek.

They were arrested after analysing footage, said police.

Harun said a group of 25-30 people, including the arrestees, stayed in Jatrabari's Rayerbagh on July 19 to take part in the quota reform protest.

"The killings and destruction were carried out in a planned way in the name of quota protest. The BNP-Jamaat tried many times to oust the democratic government."

Harun said those who killed police personnel, ordinary people, and vandalised government establishments will not be spared.