Two Jubo League activists have been arrested in connection with an explosion at a National Citizen Party (NCP) rally in Savar.
The Dhaka District North Detective Branch (DB) police made the arrests as part of their investigation into the blast that injured five people during the party’s programme at the Savar College Hostel ground in Tarapur under Savar municipality on Monday night.
The arrested individuals were identified as Md Nurul Islam, 52, son of late Sultan Fakir of Purba Bhakum village in Singair upazila of Manikganj, and Md Sajib, 32, son of Abdul Jalil of Anandapur area in Savar.
Police said both men had been living in Anandapur. Nurul Islam was a former president of the Joymontop Union Chhatra League unit in Singair and a former general secretary of the local Jubo League unit, while Sajib is a Jubo League activist.
Investigators are analysing several video recordings to determine who was involved in the blast, how the explosive device was brought into the venue and the circumstances leading up to the incident.
Dhaka District Superintendent of Police Shamima Parveen said a case was filed over the incident and the two suspects were detained on Monday night.
“They were sent to court on Tuesday afternoon,” she said.
A senior Dhaka District Police official said the field where the programme was held usually remains busy every day, with around 100 food stalls operating from afternoon until late night and hundreds of people visiting the area.
The official said the venue is open on three sides and accessible from all directions. Before the NCP rally began on Monday night, a power outage left the field almost dark for around 10 to 15 minutes.
Some lights were kept running through generators, and the explosion occurred a few minutes after electricity was restored.
Police are also investigating a disturbance that occurred in front of the stage before the programme began.
Officials said the incident is being reviewed using multiple video clips collected during the investigation.
Following the blast, Dhaka District Police formed a three-member probe committee headed by Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) Jahangir Alam.
The other members of the committee are Additional Superintendent of Police (Savar Circle) Rakibul Hasan Ishan and Savar Model Police Station Inspector (OC Intelligence) Nur Mohammad. The committee has started investigating the incident.
