Five newly elected people’s representatives who were around Rangpur Divisional Commissioner’s office to take oath on Thursday , were arrested by Rangpur Kotwali police. The oath taking time was 3 PM but they were arrested just hours before they were scheduled to take oath.
Those who were arrested are Upazila chairman of Mithapukur Golam Rabbani and vice chairman Abdul Baser Marjan, Boda Upazila chairman Shafiullah Shafi, Atwari Upazila Chairman Abdur Rahman and Atwari Upazila vice chairman Shahjahan Ali.
Of the five arrested Rabbani,Baser and Shafi were backed by Jamaat while Rahman and Shahjahan Ali were backed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
They were all arrested by Rangpur Kotwali police when they were preparing to enter the Divisional Commissioner’s office to take oath. Those arrested are facing cases, police told the this correspondent.
Shamim Hossain, Additional Superintendent of Police when contacted from Dhaka confirming the arrest of the Upazila Parishad representatives said Thakurgaon police and Mithapukur police were with Rangpur Kotwali police at the time of their arrest. Golam Rabbani is facing four criminal cases, another police official said adding as he did not seek bail in those cases so he was arrested. He was in fact absconding, he said.
Some of those arrested were facing warrant of arrest, he said but failed to give more details regarding the cases.
Meanwhile, Officer in Charge of Kotwali, Rangpur Mr. Zilani when contacted over phone said the Upazila chairmen and vice chairmen were arrested responding to request from their respective thanas . All those who have been arrested, he said, are facing cases in their respective police stations.
