Six coordinators of Students Against Discri-mination have been released from the custody of the Detective Branch (DB) of police. They left the DB office in a black car after 1:30pm on Thursday.
Ajhar Mukul, Additional Commissioner of DB's Ramna Division, confirmed this to media. Earlier on Thursday morning, DB office called the families of the six coordinators.
The released coordinators are Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud, Abu Baker Majumder, Hasnat Abdullah, Sarjis Alam and Nusrat Tabassum.
Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Abu Baker Majumder of the Students Against Discrimination were picked up by DB from Ganashasthya Hospital at Dhanmondi in the capital last Friday afternoon, while three others were taken to DB office on Saturday and Sunday. Nahid's father said, "We reached our Badda residence with Nahid from the DB office.
Rifat Rashid, one of the coordinators, confirmed their release in a Facebook post.
Law Minister Anisul Huq told reporters at the secretariat on Thursday that the quota protest coordinators left DB office this afternoon.
"It is also true that they had sought security from us. A GD was also filed in this regard. Now they say they don't need security anymore, when they expressed their desire to leave, we did not obstruct them. They have gone."
On Sunday afternoon, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Deputy Commissioner Harun Or Rashid, who was transferred from DB on Wednesday, said the coordinators were detained for 'security reasons.'
In a video message released while under police custody, Nahid Islam, a coordinator of the quota reform movement, announced the withdrawal of their protest programme on Sunday night.
Coordinators not under police custody moved quickly to assure the movement's supporters that this was to be expected, and they agreed beforehand to reject or disregard any statement they or their fellow coordinators made while under police custody. Effectively accused was coerced into making this statement under duress.
Later, a photo of the coordinators at a dining table was posted on Harun Or Rashid's Facebook page, followed shortly by the release of Nahid Islam's video message.
The High Court observed that the picture by Harun was a mockery with nation.
Hearing on the writ petition seeking quota coordinators release not held.
Despite this announcement, other coordinators of the quota movement from different universities including Dhaka University issued statements vowing to continue their protests until their nine-point demands are met.
