Police arrest 19 ‘AL-backed’ UP members from a late evening meeting in Cox’s Bazar

Police have arrested 19 Awami League-backed union parishioners for a meeting held late at night at a hotel in Cox’s Bazar.

The UP members were arrested around 12.30 pm today (November 9) while attending a meeting from the 5th floor ballroom of Uni Resort in Kalatali Hotel-Motel Zone in Cox’s Bazar.

The detainees, including more than a hundred presidents and members of the union parish, took part in a discussion meeting on the role of public representatives in state reform at the ballroom of the Uni Resort in the Kalatali Hotel-Motel Zone of Cox’s Bazar.

“The Awami League affiliated UP members have been detained from the meeting chaired by BNP leader and Palongkhali UP chairman M. Gafur Uddin,” said Foyzul Azim Noman, officer-in-charge of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station.

“The police carried out an action based on the information that AL-affiliated UP members were holding a secret meeting at the Uni Resort. No permission was sought from the administration for the meeting,” he added.

The OC said legal action has been taken against those who have a case against them and the rest have been released.

Jahir Ahmed, a detainee and member of the union parishad Teknad Sadar, said: “About 70 of us were present at the meeting. We discussed how we could help the country in times of crisis. The police suddenly burst into the meeting and detained us.

“We wouldn’t have organized a meeting in such a large, public place if it was a secret event. We are being harassed,” he added.

Selim, a UP member from Maheshkhali who was later released, also criticized the police action.

“On Friday we had a discussion meeting in our Members Association. There were people from all political parties. I strongly condemn the way our brothers have been detained,” he said.