Sub-Inspector (SI) Sukanta Das was arrested from Alamdanga of Chuadanga district on Thursday morning, following protests over his alleged release without facing charges, despite allegations over assaulting students and public during the July uprising in Khulna.
Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) Commissioner Zulfikar Ali Haider confirmed the matter and said that the arrest was carried out in a joint operation by members of the KMP and Chuadanga district police.
The development comes after intense protests erupted over reports that SI Sukanta had been released from custody without charges, despite facing multiple allegations over assaulting students and public during the mass uprising in Khulna last year.
According to protesters, students and locals detained Sukanta on Tuesday from Eastern Gate area of the city, accusing him of assaulting students and civilians during the mass movement.
He was later handed over to Khanjahan Ali Police, but demonstrators claimed that police released him the same night without filing an arrest—even though he is reportedly named in several cases.
To protest the incident, a large number of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and Chhatra Dal activists, joined by locals, launched a siege of the KMP headquarters on Wednesday around 2pm.
Protesters locked the main gate, burned tyres, and blocked roads, effectively isolating the Rupsha area from the rest of the city for several hours.
They also demanded the resignation of the KMP commissioner, accusing him of protecting an accused officer.
When the students left at 9:30pm, police officers broke the lock and exited the building.
The activists later announced to surround the KMP headquarters again from 3pm Thursday to continue the demonstration.
KMP Commissioner Zulfikar said SI Sukanta, previously stationed at Khulna Sadar Police Station, has been arrested in connection with a house vandalism case filed at the same station.
He had earlier faced allegations of student abuse and mass arrests during the July Uprising, which led to several cases being filed against him.
Following the uprising, Sukanta was initially transferred to Dhaka, and later reassigned to Chuadanga.
The KMP chief said that the process took time due to procedural requirements for detaining a government employee.
He added that steps are underway to produce Sukant before the court.
Reacting to the arrest, Al Shahriar, President of the Khulna Metropolitan unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, stated, “Our main demand has been accepted. The next course of action will be decided after further discussion.”