The mayor of Rajshahi’s Katakhali Municipality, Abbas Ali, was detained by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) from a hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday morning.
The detention comes days after he was booked under the Digital Security Act (DSA) over his alleged derogatory remarks on Bangabandhu and announcement to stop the construction of a mural of the Father of the Nation in the city.
A RAB team conducted a drive at Razmoni Ishakha hotel in Dhaka and detained Abbas in the morning, ASP Imran Khan, assistant director (legal and media wing) at RAB HQ told UNB.
UNB Rajshahi Correspondent reports:
Mayor Abbas, in his second term as mayor, came under fire after an audio clip of his remarks on Bangabandhu went viral on social media recently.
“The Katakhali city gate will be built soon but the private contractor has submitted a design of Bangabandhu’s mural to be installed at the gate,” Abbas was heard as saying in the clip.
“It will be a sin if I allow construction of Bangabandhu’s mural… it is not right as per the Islamic Shariah laws.”
Abdul Momin, councillor of ward no 13 of Katakhali Municipality, lodged a complaint against Abbas under the Digital Security Act (DSA) at the Boalia police station, following which an FIR (first information report) was filed on that day.
On Monday, police arrested Liton, the personal assistant of Abbas, and following his confessional statement, cops came to know about the whereabouts of Abbas.
Source: United News of Bangladesh