Explosive-like object recovered near Dhaka Alia Madrasa

Police have recovered an explosive-like object from a road adjacent to Government Alia Madrasa in Old Dhaka. Members of the Bomb Disposal Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) later examined and defused the object.

The object, wrapped in black Scotch tape, was recovered from the road adjacent to Allama Koshgari (Rah.) Hall on Saturday afternoon, August 8. Locals informed police after spotting the object. Police arrived at the scene and temporarily closed the road.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Lalbagh Zone Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Talebur Rahman said locals informed police after seeing an object wrapped in black tape lying on the road. Members of the CTTC's bomb disposal unit later examined the object, which was found to be harmless.

News of the explosive-like object caused panic among locals. As a precaution, police evacuated people from the surrounding area and kept the road closed. The situation returned to normal after the object was defused.

Meanwhile, there had already been tension over students moving into the residential halls of Government Alia Madrasa. On Friday, a press release from Chhatra Shibir said that 'legitimate general students and Chhatra Shibir leaders' would move into the madrasa's residential halls collectively at 12:30pm on Saturday.

To prevent any instability surrounding this programme, police set up barricades on the road leading to Alia Madrasa in the Bakhshibazar area on Saturday afternoon.

Chawkbazar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mamun said barricades were placed at Bakhshibazar intersection to prevent any unstable situation.