Near the notorious Geneva Camp in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, a so-called anti-narcotics drive was carried out on the pavement adjacent to Residential Model College late on Sunday night, at around 11pm.
 
Conducted without the involvement of any law enforcement agency, the operation was executed by a self-styled “civic organisation” under the banner of “Nagorik Unnoti Songothon.”
 
During the raid, a 30-year-old suspected cannabis user, identified as Arif Hossain, was detained, struck on the head, and left bleeding before being handed over to the police at College Gate.
 
Following his detention, police rushed Arif Hossain to the emergency department of Shahid Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for treatment, where his head wound required four stitches, before taking him to the police station.
 
A scuffle had reportedly broken out while he was consuming cannabis, causing his head to split open, while police personnel were stationed nearby. Law enforcement authorities are currently conducting a dope test on him, and legal proceedings are under process.
 
Although Arif had no prior cases registered against him, Md Mofiz Uddin, inspector (operations) at Mohammadpur Police Station, told that a case would now be filed, adding he had heard the group involved comprised people associated with the local member of parliament.
 
Allegations of MP staff involvement
Locals maintained that the vigilante raid took place under the direct supervision of Intishar Mashuk Prodhan, executive assistant to Bobi Hajjaj, local member of parliament and state minister for primary and mass education.
 
An internal police report supported this account, pointing out that individuals from the office of MP Bobi Hajjaj conducted the drive near Geneva Camp, bloodying Arif Hossain before loading him into a police vehicle.
 
An inspector at Mohammadpur Police Station explained to   that drug consignments regularly change hands along the streets and pavements near Residential Model College and Geneva Camp, a pressing concern that many residents had previously brought to the attention of the member of parliament before Sunday’s civilian action.
 
Denials and social media video
However, Intishar Mashuk Prodhan denied conducting any such operation, though he acknowledged that a local civic organisation occasionally carries out similar drives.
 
On Monday afternoon, Bobi Hajjaj, state minister for primary and mass education, told   that no one from his office ran an anti-narcotics drive, confirming only that Intishar is a member of his staff.
 
Bobi claimed that local residents had worked to maintain law and order following the events of 5 August and suggested that old video footage from that period might have been re-circulated.
 
Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media showed a man named Mohammad Ahmed participating in the raid, though he claimed to   that he knew nothing about the incident.
 
Pattern of vigilante drives
Geneva Camp is widely recognised as a sanctuary for drugs, where formal drives are frequently launched by the police, Detective Branch (DB), and SRB (formerly RAB).
 
The unauthorised vigilante drive by local residents has raised serious questions regarding the role of law enforcement agencies.
 
The incident follows another recent controversy on Saturday, when Ishraque Hossain, member of parliament for the Dhaka-6 constituency, conducted an armed anti-narcotics drive in Gendaria, which led to him losing his portfolio as state minister for liberation war affairs on Monday.
 
News of yet another drive linked to the direction of a state minister’s assistant has now further intensified questions over public security and police oversight.
Source: Times of Bangladesh