Viral lawyer released hours after being detained

Supreme Court lawyer Advocate M Kamal Uddin, who went viral on social media after claiming to be the president of the ‘Bangladesh Non-Absconding Awami League’, has been released from court custody in Chattogram.

He was released from the Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Court around 4:30pm on Saturday after police found no allegations against him.

Kamal Uddin was detained around 2am on Friday night from a rented house in the CDA Tech area of Karnaphuli upazila. He was subsequently taken to Karnaphuli Police Station.

Officer-in-Charge of Karnaphuli Police Station Nur Ahmed said Kamal Uddin was taken to the station on Friday night for security reasons.

He said police later contacted his family members, but none came to the police station. As no allegations were found against him, he was forwarded to court under Section 88 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. He was subsequently released by the court.

Advocate M Kamal Uddin is a lawyer of the Bangladesh Supreme Court. During the Awami League government, he served as a state counsel at the Chattogram District and Sessions Judge Court.

He came into the spotlight again last October after announcing the formation of a committee named ‘Bangladesh Non-Absconding Awami League’ and introducing himself as its president.

He said the initiative was aimed at criticising Awami League leaders who had gone into hiding.

Videos of his statements about the organisation subsequently spread across Facebook, TikTok and other social media platforms, drawing widespread attention.