Coordinators will be released if deemed safe by police: Home Minister

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan stated that the five coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement have not been arrested. 

He made this statement while speaking to reporters in his office on Sunday, July 28.

The coordinators have been taken into police custody for their safety. When asked when they would be allowed to return to their families, the home minister explained, "They themselves were saying that they were at risk. One of them told his father that he was in hiding with special needs. They expressed concerns about their safety, which is why we brought them in."

The home minister added that the coordinators are being questioned about any political party or individuals who may have instigated them, as well as about the movement that turned violent. "They are providing answers to these questions," he said.

"We have not arrested them. They are in our custody, and we are evaluating the situation. They will be released only if the police deem them safe. We did not arrest them," the minister reiterated.

Last Friday afternoon, police took Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud, and Abu Bakr Majumdar, coordinators of the quota reform movement, into custody while they were being treated at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in Dhaka. On Saturday, two more coordinators, Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah, were also taken into custody by the detective police.