Former Awami League minister Abdul Latif Siddique along with several others were taken into police custody on Thursday from an event at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).
The incident occurred after a roundtable discussion titled “Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh” was held at the Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium of DRU, organised by “Moncha 71.”
Dr. Kamal Hossain, the former president of the Gono Forum, was expected to attend as the chief guest, but he was not present at the event.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Hafiz Al Asad confirmed that the detainees would be taken to Shahbagh police station for further action.
Shahbagh Police Sub-Inspector (SI) Rashed added, “There is no alternative but to take them away from here. Senior officers will decide the next steps.”
Liberation War hero Golam Mustafa, speaking at the event, mentioned, “We had invited all freedom fighters, regardless of their political affiliations. We started the event, and Latif Siddique arrived, but Kamal Hossain did not.”
Mustafa further described how around 20-25 young individuals disrupted the event, surrounding and causing a scene, but confirmed that no physical altercations occurred.
Following the disturbance, the police, under ADC Hafiz Al Asad’s leadership, arrived and detained Siddique and others, placing them in a van.
Eyewitnesses reported that a group of youth under the banner of “July Warriors” blocked Siddique and others from entering the venue, and a broken table was seen at the site, signaling the unrest.