Gulshan Awami League rally: DC recalled after OC

M Tanvir Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Gulshan Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), has been attached to the DMP headquarters until further notice.

The decision was announced in an office order signed by DMP Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed on Wednesday (September 16).

The order said Tanvir Ahmed was attached to the DMP headquarters for administrative reasons and that the decision took immediate effect. However, it did not specify the reason for the administrative action.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, Gulshan Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Daud Hossain was also recalled. According to sources, the administrative actions were taken in connection with a rally by leaders and activists of the now-banned Awami League in the Gulshan-1 area of the capital last Friday.

Police said several hundred Awami League leaders and activists attempted to hold a rally in Gulshan-1 on September 11. When police moved to disperse them, two cocktails were reportedly detonated by people taking part in the rally. Police subsequently fired two rounds of rubber bullets to bring the situation under control. Two people were detained from the scene along with five live cocktails.

A case was filed at Gulshan Police Station under the Anti-Terrorism Act over the incident. The case names 118 people and includes another 80 to 100 unidentified individuals as accused. More arrests were subsequently made over alleged participation in the rally. On September 12, police said 32 people had been arrested.

The number of arrests later increased. A report published on September 13 said another 40 people had been arrested in connection with the rally.

Meanwhile, questions were raised about the police’s intelligence gathering and preparedness following the rally in the strategically important Gulshan area. At the time, the DMP said any possible lapses would be examined through an investigation.

Against this backdrop, the OC of Gulshan Police Station was first recalled, followed by the order attaching the DC of the Gulshan Division to DMP headquarters. However, no specific allegation against either officer, or the precise reason for the administrative actions, has so far been made public.