Anti-rape protest: 12 sued for attacking cops

Two of the accused in a case over attacking police during anti-rape protests in Dhaka on Tuesday have said they were not present at the scene during the clash.

The clash broke out in front of the Hotel InterContinental when the protesters attempted to break a police barricade and submit a memorandum to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at his residence.

Sub-Inspector Abul Khair of Ramna Police Station filed a case accusing 12 named and at least 70 other unidentified individuals.

One of the named accused, Armanul Hoque, convener of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation's Dhaka University unit, says he was in Dinajpur's Khansama upazila on Tuesday.

"I have been on an organisational tour in the northern districts since February 27. I was over 350 kilometres from Dhaka, yet I have been falsely implicated in the case," Arman told The Daily Star yesterday evening, claiming he was speaking from Naogaon.

"This seems like a continuation of the way the police used to file false cases against opposition leaders and activists during the fascist regime," he added.

Another accused, Chhatra Federation's President Mashiur Rahman Richard, said he was in the capital's Dhanmondi when the clash took place.

"Police filed a false case against me," he told The Daily Star.

The other named accused are Meghmallar Basu, DU unit president of a faction of Chhatra Union; the unit's General Secretary Maeen Ahmed; Saikat Arif, general secretary of Chhatra Federation; Al Amin Rahman, president of Chhatra Federation's Dhaka city unit; Fahim Ahmed Chowdhury, general secretary of Ganatantrik Chhatra Council; Sumaiya Shahina, president of Eden Mahila College unit of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front; and Chhatra Federation activists Hasan Sikder and Sima Akter; Adrita Ray and Aung Aung Marma.

The protest was organised by the platform "Bangladesh Against Rape and Oppression" amid a recent rise in reports of rape and other forms of violence against women and children.

In the case statement, Khair said police stopped the protesters in front of the hotel and urged them not to obstruct the road, citing the need to ensuring the chief adviser's security and maintaining smooth traffic flow.

Ignoring the call, stick-wielding protesters attempted to break the barricade, attacked police personnel and hurled brick chunks at them, leaving seven police personnel injured, according to the case statement.

Protesters earlier said it was the police who attacked their peaceful demonstration.

Asked about the inclusion of Arman and Richard in the case even though they claim that they were not present during the clash, Khair told The Daily Star, "We filed the case after collecting information. If there is any mistake, the investigation officer will correct it during the probe."

PHQ PROTESTS

The Police Headquarters alleged that images published in the media failed to depict the context of the clash accurately.

It claimed that footage showed protesters attacked officers before the law enforcers tried to contain the situation.

It said police stopped the protesters, considering the safety of key state establishments and smooth traffic flow during Ramadan.

Despite repeated requests to disperse, the protesters began throwing bricks at the police, read the statement.

It said an assistant commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police was seriously injured. A deputy commissioner of DMP and four other officers were also wounded, the PHQ said.

It expressed concern over what it called a "partial representation of the incident", urging media outlets to maintain responsible journalism while covering such events.

The Bangladesh Police Service Association also protested against the attack on law enforcers.