Shanta Farzana among 6 taken into police custody

After being trapped for nearly three hours inside the Emergency Department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, six members of Notun Dhara Bangladesh, including its Senior Vice Chairman Shanta Farzana, were taken into police custody.

As they were being escorted out of the hospital, members of the State Dialogue Forum (SDF) and other activists allegedly attacked them again.

The six injured individuals were escorted under heavy police security from the hospital's emergency department and placed into police vehicles around 11pm on Tuesday.

Ramna Zone Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Rabbani confirmed that the six injured leaders had been taken into police custody.

The six Notun Dhara Bangladesh leaders are--Senior Vice Chairman Shanta Farzana, Chairman Momin Mehedi, Vice Chairman Dr. Nurjahan Nira, Joint Secretary General Monir Zaman, and Organizing Secretaries Atap Mondal and Haridas Sarkar. All six were injured during the clashes.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Al Amin of Shahbagh Police Station said that the six leaders, including the chairman, vice chairman, organizing secretary, and secretary general of Notun Dhara Bangladesh, had been confined inside Dhaka Medical College Hospital before being escorted to Shahbagh Police Station under police protection.

Earlier, repeated clashes broke out between supporters of Notun Dhara Bangladesh and the State Dialogue Forum (SDF) inside the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The violence forced the emergency department to suspend medical services for about one and a half hours. Although services later resumed temporarily, they were once again halted following renewed attacks.

The first clash occurred around 7pm on Tuesday in front of the National Press Club. According to reports, a group led by SDF Member Secretary Ayas attacked Shanta Farzana and her associates, triggering the confrontation.

Later, around 8:30pm, when injured members of both groups arrived at Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment, fresh clashes erupted inside the hospital.

Speaking after the incident, injured leader Shanta Farzana said they had been holding a torch procession and protest rally in front of the Press Club that evening.

She alleged that while speeches were underway, a group led by Ayas suddenly attacked them, leaving six people, including Chairman Momin Mehedi, seriously injured and covered in blood.

She further claimed that after they went to the hospital for treatment, a group of 20 to 25 people launched repeated attacks on them inside the emergency department.

According to Farzana, despite remaining peaceful, they were assaulted both at the Press Club and later inside the hospital, where her clothes were also torn during the attack.

On the other hand, injured SDF Member Secretary Ayas claimed that Farzana and her partymen had referred to martyr Abu Sayeed as a "July terrorist" and made derogatory remarks about religion.

He alleged that when they protested those comments, Shanta Farzana, Momin Mehedi, and 30 to 40 of their supporters attacked them.

Witnesses at the scene reported that Shanta Farzana and Notun Dhara Bangladesh Organizing Secretary Atap Mondal sustained serious injuries, while Ayas was also seen injured.

Farzana and her colleagues remained trapped inside the emergency department for several hours, unable to leave or receive proper medical treatment.

Additional police and Ansar personnel were deployed to control the situation. The violence forced the emergency department to suspend treatment for approximately one and a half hours.

Although services resumed briefly, they were interrupted again after fresh attacks. Doctors, patients, and their attendants were seen running in panic.

Upon receiving news of the incident, Brigadier General Md. Asaduzzaman, Director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital, rushed to the scene and held an emergency meeting with doctors in an effort to restore order.

However, attacks on Shanta Farzana and her colleagues reportedly continued even while the meeting was underway.