Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has strongly condemned the incident of forcibly controlling the quota reform movement, abducting the movement coordinators, detaining them in the Detective Branch office, and forcing them to withdraw their program through a video message, as a “blatant lie, fraudulent, and unconstitutional.”

TIB has called for the realization that the Detective Branch's (DB) lies are “suicidal, anti-people, and cruelly theatrical,” in the continuation of “false narratives by the government, the ruling party, and state institutions” to legitimize the “violations of rights such as widespread killings, indiscriminate cases, and arrests by law enforcement agencies to suppress the movement.”

According to media sources, over 213,000 people have been accused in 200 cases filed in various police stations in the capital in connection with the recent violence surrounding the quota reform movement.

Law enforcement agencies are conducting mass arrest operations. TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, "While the arrest operations in different areas to find those involved in the violence were supposed to hold only those involved in the violence accountable, we have learned from media sources that students, professionals, and ordinary people are being indiscriminately arrested.”

“There have been incidents of handcuffing ordinary people who were not involved in the violence, even teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17, and presenting them in court. This is a clear violation of the rights of citizens enshrined in the Constitution,” he said.

In addition, said the TIB executive director, “there are allegations of inhuman torture in remand against them after their arrest, ignoring the clear instructions of the High Court, which is a brutal violation of human rights.”

“We would like to remind the law enforcement agencies once again of their constitutional responsibilities and professional oaths, and tell them that if they have any respect for their identity as protectors of the law, they should come out of the path of devouring the law and stop harassing ordinary citizens, stop the brutal oppression of students," said Dr Iftekharuzzaman.

The ED of TIB said, "What we are learning from the media gives us enough reason to believe that the movement coordinators were essentially abducted and pressured. The Detective Branch is lying, trying to mislead the public, and demonstrating their professional bankruptcy.”

Moreover, he said, there is no legal basis for "security custody".

“Abducting and detaining students is a clear violation of Article 33 of the Constitution. Similarly, forcing the coordinators to read the declaration of withdrawal of the program is a violation of Article 35(4) of the Constitution. It is not unreasonable to assume that such unconstitutional efforts have been resorted to in order to cover up the unprecedented use of force to suppress the movement," he said.

Dr. Zaman further stated that the government has been trying to create false narratives to legitimize its unaccountable actions, such as shutting down the internet, in an attempt to suppress the quota reform movement.

He said, "It is clear that the government, having failed to understand a completely apolitical and peaceful movement, pushed the issue towards violence by using force and giving state institutions the opportunity to abuse power.”

“Mass arrests, indiscriminate lawsuits,block raids, harassment of ordinary citizens, and suppression of the truth, all of which trample on the constitutional rights of citizens, must stop. At the same time, we strongly demand that the government refrain from trying to forcefully portray the situation as normal and immediately stop such suicidal activities," he added.

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