Police have arrested 19 UP members from a residential hotel called 'Uni Resort' in the Kalatali Hotel-Motel Zone of Cox's Bazar town.
They were arrested from the hall room on the 5th floor of the Kalatali Uni Resort in Cox's Bazar town around midnight on Friday (November 8).
The arrested said, 'A discussion meeting of the 'Member Association', an organization consisting of UP members from 9 upazilas of the district, was going on. At that time, the police and more than fifty alleged coordinators surrounded their hall room. Then the police and people posing as coordinators came and started searching and checking.
Police said, 'Awami Panthi UP members were holding secret meetings, based on this information, they were arrested in a raid. There were 70 UP members at that meeting. The police could not clarify the reason for releasing the rest.
Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Faizul Azim Noman said, 'The operation was conducted based on information that Awami League-backed UP members were holding secret meetings at the 'Uni Resort'. There are many UP members here. Those who have cases against them have been detained and those who do not have cases have been released.
The police officer did not answer the question of why fifty so-called coordinators were involved in the police operation.
Meanwhile, the hotel was surrounded, creating panic in the area around the hotel. Tourists staying at the hotel were seen leaving the hotel.
Teknaf Sadar Union Parishad UP member Zahir Ahmed, who was arrested, said, 'Today, there was a discussion meeting of the Member Association, an organization formed by UP members of the district. About 70 of us UP members were present. There, there was a discussion on how to work during the country's fatigue. Suddenly, the police and coordinator entered unexpectedly abused us in obscene language and arrested us. If we had a secret meeting, there would not have been such a big event at the hotel on the side of the road. We are being harassed.
Selim, a UP member from Maheshkhali area who was released from the police, said, 'Today there was a discussion meeting of our member association. People from all political parties were there. But we strongly condemn the detention of our brothers in this way.
Miraj, a tourist in room 505 at Uni Resort, said, 'I had checked into this hotel with my family. Suddenly, the police surrounded the hotel. After a while, some students entered the hotel by introducing themselves. We do not feel safe. So we are leaving.
Meanwhile, some people identified as the alleged coordinators prevented journalists from taking video footage when they went to collect news of the operation. There are also allegations that they attacked the journalists.