Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has detained three more people over a recent clash between New Market traders and Dhaka College students that claimed two lives.
They were arrested from Shariatpur and Cox's Bazar districts on Wednesday night. The arrestees are – Mahmudul Hasan Siam, 21, Moajjem Hossain Sajib, 23, and Mehedi Hasan Bappi, 21.
One of the three was directly involved in the murder. The other two are the initiators of the conflict, said RAB Legal and Media Wing Director Commander Khandaker Al Moin.
“Sajib and Bappi were hiding in Cox's Bazar for a long time by changing their costumes to hide their identities and were trying to get jobs in different hotels there”, said RAB legal and media wing director.
“While analysing the CCTV footage, it was seen that Nahid fell after being hit by a brick. Then Siam hit him with a domestic weapon. The footage shows another man being hit with a sharp weapon. His name is Emon. Siam got involved in the conflict in response to the provocations and rumours circulated through social media. He is a third-year student of Dhaka College”, Khandaker Al Moin added.
In a press briefing on Thursday, he said that during the Iftar on April 18, some Dhaka college students and Welcome fast food shop employees got engaged in a quarrel over the debate of setting up tables in the front of the shops. Meanwhile, the Welcome fast food shop employees Sajib and Bappi got angry.
In order to show their heroism and influence, they call some miscreants. After that, the clashes broke out between the two sides which left several people injured both sides. At this time the employees of other shops tried to resist the attack. Through which the New Market conflict began, he added.
The clashes continued for nearly two days which left at least 50 people injured and two dead.
Five cases against 1,400 people, and two murder cases, were lodged in connection with the clashes so far.
Earlier on April 28, police arrested five Dhaka College students over the New Market clash.
“The five were directly involved in the clashes between the Dhaka College students and New Market shopkeepers,” DMP Additional Commissioner (Detective Branch) AKM Hafiz Akter said.
