New Age | 388 Ansar men sent to jail for attacking students in Dhaka

A Dhaka city magistrate court on Monday sentenced 388 Ansar members to prison terms in four cases for seizing and looting the Bangladesh Secretariat and attacking students.

Magistrate Md Mosharraf Hossain passed the order when police produced the accused before the court and requested that they be kept behind bars pending the completion of investigations in the case pending at Ramna, Shahbagh, Paltan and airport police stations in the capital.

Of the 388, 189 were arrested at Shahbagh police station, 98 at Ramna police station, 95 at Paltan police station and six Ansar men at Airport police station. A total of 426 people were named in four cases at these police stations. About 3,000 other unnamed Ansar members were also accused in these cases.

Despite the government's assurances that it would meet their demands, Ansar members continued their demonstration around the Secretariat on August 25, blocking all gates. At around 9 p.m., they clashed with students and others, leaving 50 people injured.