Quota protest coordinators Asif, Nahid, Baker ‘taken into DB custody for security reasons’

Coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement Asif Mahmud, Abu Baker Majumdar and Nahid Islam have been picked up by members of the Detective Branch of the police from a hospital in the capital where they were under treatment today (26 July), DB officials said.

“Asif, Nahid and Baker – three quota reform protest leaders have been taken into DB custody for security reasons,” Detective Branch chief Additional Commissioner Harun-Or-Rashid told journalists tonight.

The DB chief disclosed the information hours after various media outlets reported that the coordinators were picked by DB men. 

“Men, who identified themselves as DB police, took Nahid, Asif, Baker and a hospital staff at around 3:00pm today,” Nahid’s father Badrul Islam told TBS in the evening.

Both Asif and Nahid were under treatment at Gonoshasthaya Kendra in Dhanmondi with injuries received in alleged torture after they were picked up by unidentified men. Abu Baker was picked up as well.

Nahid was picked up from a friend’s house in Khilgaon on 20 July while Asif was picked up from Mahanagar area on 19 July and Abu Baker was picked on the same day from Dhanmondi.

All three of them are students at Dhaka University. Nahid was left blindfolded after 24hrs in the Purbachal area. Later on 25 July, Asif was left blindfolded in the Hatirjheel area and Abu Baker in the Dhanmondi area. 

According to media reports, Nahid was tortured with a metal rod while Asif was given an injection that made him senseless for days. Both of them claimed they were pressured to stop the anti-quota movement and were interrogated over the protests.