Dhaka:Police have arrested four activists affiliated with the Awami League and its affiliate organization Jubo League following a cocktail explosion in the Dhanmondi area of the capital on Friday.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the arrested individuals include Md Shaminur Rahman, president of the Awami League in the Tejgaon Industrial Area Police Station area; Kamrun Nahar Lipi, joint convener of the party in the same area; Md Nazmul Hasan, an activist of the banned Jubo League; and Md Billal Hossain, an Awami League activist.
The incident occurred when a group of 10-15 activists from the banned Awami League arrived near the Kalabagan Krira Chakra ground on Mirpur Road around 1205 pm on Friday. They reportedly displayed banners and detonated several cocktails to instigate panic and chaos. Upon hearing the explosions, the officer-in-charge of the Dhanmondi Model Police Station arrived at the scene, narrowly avoiding a cocktail thrown in his direction. Nazmul and Billal were apprehended by the police on the spot, while Shaminur and Kamrun Nahar were later arrested by Kalabagan police officers in front of Bikrampur Mistanna Bhandar, under the Kalabagan Bus Stand footbridge.
Initial investigations led to the recovery of three live cocktails at the scene. Further searches, based on the information obtained from the detainees, resulted in the discovery of an additional ten cocktails, totaling thirteen. These were safely defused by the DMP Bomb Disposal Team. Legal proceedings regarding the incident are currently underway.
Dhanmondi Police Station Officer-in-Charge Imdadul Islam noted that the explosion took place around 1205 pm, just before Juma prayers, at the intersection of Dhanmondi Road No. 8 and Road No. 10, near the Kalabagan Bus Stand. He clarified that the explosion occurred in front of Abesh Hotel, opposite the residence of International Crimes Tribunal-2 Judge Manjurul Bashid, rather than directly in front of the judge's residence.