6-year-old girl in jail with mother: How the incident unfolded

In Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, police have detained the elderly father, wife, and sister-in-law of an accused named Mizanur Rahman, who was allegedly snatched from police custody.

A six-year-old girl is also currently in jail. However, police claimed that she is in jail due to a request from the family, she was not arrested.

The arrested individuals are – Farzana Hakim Nithor, 29, wife of accused Mizanur Rahman; Rozina Akter, 43, wife of Mizanur’s elder brother Salahuddin; and their father Zafar Alam, 68, all residents of Kashiarbil area under Rajapalong Union in Ukhiya.

The incident unfolded when police came to arrest Mizanur Rahman, an accused in a July Uprising related case.

Mizanur Rahman’s elder brother, Mohammad Salahuddin, is the acting chairman of Rajapalong Union Parishad and president of the Union Awami League. Following the fall of the Awami League government 5 August 2024, a case was filed by police in which Mizanur Rahman was named as an accused, and a court issued an arrest warrant against him.

Mohammad Salahuddin alleged that the case against his brother Mizanur is politically motivated and intended to harass them, as their entire family is involved in Awami League politics. He said that after 5 August 2024, he himself was arrested in the same case, later secured bail after serving jail time, and his younger brother was also named in that case.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ukhiya Police Station, Md. Mujibur Rahman, said that on Saturday midnight (11 April), acting on information that warrant-listed fugitive Mizanur Rahman was at his house in Kashiarbil, a police team conducted a drive. After arresting him from his home and handcuffing him, police attempted to take him away, but he started shouting.

At that time, 10–15 unidentified individuals, along with family members, attacked police with sticks and locally made weapons. Two police members – Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Swadesh Biswas and Constable Omar Faruk of Ukhiya Police Station – were injured.

During the scuffle, the attackers snatched Mizanur Rahman from police custody and he fled through the back of the house in the darkness. Despite a chase, police failed to re-arrest him.

In an immediate drive, police arrested three people from the scene, including the accused Mizanur Rahman’s wife, sister-in-law and father.

Relatives claimed that Mizanur Rahman’s 6-year-old daughter, Maira, was also arrested, but police denied arresting the child.

OC Mujibur Rahman said, one elderly man and two women were arrested in connection with the attack. However, the child was later brought to jail upon family request, she was not arrested, added the OC.

On Sunday afternoon (12 April), Assistant Sub-Inspector Swadesh Biswas filed a case in the incident, accusing 15 named individuals and 10–15 unidentified persons of attacking police, snatching the accused, and obstructing government duties, the OC confirmed.