Dhaka: Three coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, and Abu Baker Majumdar, were taken into Detective Branch (DB) custody of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) from a city hospital on July 26 last year. The incident occurred after they were reportedly picked up by individuals in plainclothes who identified themselves as members of a law enforcement agency.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Nahid's family alleged that he was taken from Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital around 3:30 pm. Shortly thereafter, Asif and Baker were also taken from the same hospital. The DB police later acknowledged that the trio was taken into custody for security reasons and indicated plans to interrogate them about any knowledge of violence during the movement.
The three coordinators had previously been abducted on July 19, following a nationwide "complete shutdown" announced by the quota reform movement. Nahid was taken from Nandipara in Khilgaon and was found abandoned in Purbachal on July 21, receiving medical treatment since then. Asif and Baker were similarly taken on July 19 and later left in Hatirjheel and Dhanmondi, respectively, on July 24, after which they were hospitalized for treatment.
Asif, now an adviser to the interim government, claimed in his book 'Matribhumi Othoba Mrityu' that he and Nahid were confined at a place referred to as 'Aynaghar (glass house)'. Meanwhile, the deposed home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal stated that the trio was taken to DB custody for their safety amid insecurity concerns.
During the same period, a nationwide curfew allowed flexibility from 8 pm to 5 pm on July 26. Law enforcement agencies conducted a combing operation, arresting at least 765 individuals across the country between July 25 night and July 26 afternoon. Prothom Alo reported that 207 of these arrests were made in the capital alone, bringing the total number of arrests in Dhaka to at least 2,416, with a national total of at least 6,264 since July 17.
On July 26, three more individuals injured during the quota reform movement succumbed to their injuries. Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, provided financial support to the family of Abu Sayeed, the first martyr of the July Uprising. In Sylhet, students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology named their main gate 'Shaheed Rudra Toron' in honor of Rudra, a victim of the movement.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called for "national unity" to demand the government's resignation, citing mass arrests and repression. British MP Dr. Rupa Huq raised questions in the UK Parliament about the situation in Bangladesh, seeking the UK government's stance on the unrest.
The Canadian government expressed concern over the violence, while Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) emphasized the constitutional right to peaceful protest. Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SUJAN) demanded impartial investigations into the deaths during the protests and called for an end to indiscriminate arrests. Leftist parties urged a political solution and accountability for the unrest, and the Bangladesh Economic Association called for impartial investigations into the casualties and damage during the movement.