The four women lawmakers of opposition BNP have been released after eight hours of their detention.
They were detained from in front of their party’s headquarters at Naya Paltan around 10.30am during the opposition-enforced daylong strike Thursday.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman confirmed bdnews24.com about the release around 5.45pm.
The four MPs — Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papiya, Rehena Akter Ranu, Rasheda Begum Hira and Shammi Akter — alleged police prevented them from entering their party headquarters, prompting them to squat on the street.
They started shouting slogans as police asked them to move away. At one stage, a scuffle broke out between the MPs and policemen.
Later they were taken to the Paltan police station in a microbus.
On way to the Detective Branch for questioning, the MPs indulged in a scuffle with police in the bus once again, Metropolitan Detective Police Additional Deputy-Commissioner Mehedi Hassan told bdnews24.com earlier in the day.
MP Shammi Akter and a constable Sharifa fell from the running microbus during the scuffle, reported bdnews24.com Correspondent.
Hassan said Akhter pushed out constable Sharifa from the microbus. “Then she herself lost balance and fell from the bus.”
Constable Sharifa was sent to a hospital, he added.
Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farooque had threatened to intensify agitation if those lawmakers were not released immediately.
“Journalists saw how police dragged away the women MPs and detained them. It is unprecedented that MPs are arrested when the parliament is in session,” said Farooque had said.
The BNP MPs are not attending the session following party’s sustained boycott of the House. banglanews24.com
