Bangladesh police on Thursday released six student leaders from custody, a senior officer informed AFP. These leaders had organized protests against civil service job quotas last month, which led to nationwide unrest resulting in fatalities. According to an AFP tally based on police and hospital data, 206 people were killed during the unrest.
Deputy commissioner Junaed Alam Sarkar stated, "All six quota movement coordinators have been reunited with their families this afternoon." Police had arrested key members of Students Against Discrimination in the past week, including leader Nahid Islam. He and two others were forcibly removed from a hospital in Dhaka last Friday by plainclothes detectives and taken to an undisclosed location. Nahid's father, Badrul Islam, confirmed to AFP that Nahid had returned home on Thursday but provided no further details.
Three additional individuals were detained in subsequent days, with the government claiming they were taken into custody for their safety. Justice minister Anisul Huq explained to AFP on Thursday that all six had willingly agreed to be in police custody, stating, "They came here willingly and they returned willingly."
