Netrakona Awami League Vice President Prashanta Kumar arrested

Staff Correspondent

Police have arrested Prashanta Kumar Roy, vice president of the Netrakona district unit of the Awami League.

He was arrested around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday from a house in the Dattapara area of Tongi in Gazipur. He is a former chairman of the Netrakona District Council and a former municipal mayor.

It is reported that since August 17, 60 to 70 cases have been filed in 10 police stations against leaders and activists of the Awami League and its affiliated organizations. The number of accused in these cases exceeds 8,000.

Among the cases filed at Netrakona Model Police Station and Barhatta Police Station, Prashanta Kumar Roy has been named as an accused in at least eight.

After remaining in hiding for a long time, a procession led by him took place on the morning of June 20. The procession started from Boro Bazar in the district town and moved toward the Awami League’s party office in Chhoto Bazar, where Prashanta Kumar Roy delivered a speech criticizing the current interim government. Videos of the event spread on Facebook.

In protest, activists of the district BNP, the war crimes-linked organization Jamaat, its militant wing Shibir, and the extremist group Khelafat Andolon staged protest processions later that evening and night, demanding Prashanta’s arrest.

Around 8:30 p.m. that day, these politically motivated mob attackers stormed Prashanta Kumar Roy’s four-story residence, vandalized furniture and belongings, and looted money and gold ornaments. At the time, Prashanta’s wife, elder brother, and the brother’s family were at home.

Netrakona Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kazi Shah Newaz said that based on a tip-off, Awami League leader Prashanta Kumar Roy was arrested from a house in the Dattapara area of Tongi. He had been staying there in hiding after the procession.