19 members of banned Hizb ut-Tahrir detained over Dhaka march defying curbs

Police say they have arrested 19 members of the banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir after they defied restrictions and organised a protest march in Dhaka.

Hussain Muhammad Farabi, assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, or DMP's, Motijheel Zone, said the arrests were made following a clash between the marchers and law enforcers.

"A case is being prepared in relation to the incident," he said in the wee hours of Saturday.

"A total of 19 individuals have been detained. One of them appears to have mental health issues, and another is quite young. These two may be exempted, while the identities of the others are being verified."

Farabi confirmed that if everything proceeds as planned, charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act will be filed against them overnight.

On Friday afternoon, a Hizb ut-Tahrir protest march originating from the northern gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque initially overwhelmed police’s attempts to block it.

As the march proceeded through Paltan toward Bijoynagar, police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the protesters.

Immediately after the Friday prayers, the marchers—standing on the steps of Baitul Mukarram’s northern gate—began chanting slogans and raising banners inscribed with the Kalima.

The first group of 10 police officers who attempted to block them were quickly pushed back by the overwhelming crowd. As they retreated, another police unit stationed at Paltan junction made a failed attempt to stop the procession.

Once the procession reached Bijoynagar, police charged the protesters with batons and fired tear gas shells, forcing them to scatter into narrow alleyways. Officers were then seen chasing them with batons.

Around 2:30pm, DMP Motijheel Division Deputy Commissioner Shahriar Ali confirmed that the march had been dispersed and several individuals had been detained.

Prior to the protest, DMP had issued a stern warning against the Hizb ut-Tahrir's "March for Khilafat" programme.

A statement released by the Police Headquarters on Friday afternoon declared: "Hizb ut-Tahrir is a banned organisation. According to the law, all its activities are punishable offences."

Earlier, around midnight on Thursday, the DMP’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime, or CTTC, Unit conducted a raid in Uttara's Sector 11 and Sector 12 and arrested three individuals linked to the group.

They were subsequently charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Uttara West Police Station.