Staff Correspondent

Kafrul Thana Awami League leader Abdul Jabbar, a local Awami League leader has been arrested in connection with an attack on students during the anti-discrimination movement.

He was arrested on Thursday night from Senpara Parbata in the capital.

The protest, largely led by student activists, turned violent when a group of Awami League supporters allegedly opened fire on the crowd.

Md Obaidur Rahman, additional commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, confirmed the matter on Friday.

Md Obaidur Rahman said the incident happened in the afternoon on July 19, 2024 when Md Mobarak Hossain, one of the victims, was heading to his maternal uncle's house at Senpara Parbata from Shah Ali Plaza at Mirpur-10 in the capital. At that time, a peaceful demonstration against discrimination was being held by student activists and local residents. During the demonstration, leaders and workers of Awami League and its affiliated organisations allegedly started shooting indiscriminately on the students and people.

Critically injured in the shooting, Mobarak was first taken to Islami Bank Hospital at Pallabi. Then, he was shifted to the Pangu Hospital at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar for better treatment.

Following the attack, Mobarak's uncle, Md Rubel Hossain, filed a case at Kafrul Police Station on September 16. The complaint named 107 individuals and implicated another 150 unidentified people.

After examining the CCTV footage from the area, police identified Abdul Jabbar as one of the key individuals involved in the attack on Mobarak.

Legal proceedings were underway against Abdul Jabbar, confirmed Kafrul police.