Dhaka, September 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A Dhaka court has sent 27 people to jail after they were arrested during a police raid on the central office of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD), in an operation that followed allegations that members of the banned Awami League had gathered there for a secret meeting.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam passed the order on Sunday after police produced the 27 before the court under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The court fixed Monday for hearing their bail petitions.
Police had initially detained around 280-300 people from the JaSaD office in Dhaka’s Gulistan area on Saturday. Following identity verification, most were released, while 27 were formally arrested. Police alleged that those arrested had chanted “Joy Bangla” slogans and created an unstable and disorderly environment inside the office.
The raid followed claims that Awami League leaders and activists had gathered at the JaSaD headquarters for a “secret meeting” and possibly to plan sabotage. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said intelligence reports had prompted the operation and that the mobile phones of the 27 detainees would undergo forensic examination. He said legal action would follow if evidence linked them to sabotage.
JaSaD rejected the allegations, saying the gathering was a scheduled central representatives’ meeting and that police had been informed in advance. The party also alleged that BNP and Jubo Dal activists had surrounded and attacked the office before the police operation.
The Awami League has condemned the arrests and the reported attack on the JaSaD office, alleging that BNP and Jubo Dal activists acted with police protection. It described the incident as part of what it claims is a wider effort since August 5, 2024, to marginalise secular and progressive political forces.
The party also alleged that offices of the Awami League and other pro-Liberation War parties have faced vandalism, arson and occupation. These claims have not been independently established.
The incident has drawn wider concern from rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra, which called for a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation into the alleged attack and the detention of nearly 300 people.
FOLLOW NOW
