Quota protest: DB picks up three organisers from hospital

This news article from The Daily Star (Bangladesh) reports on the detention of three key organizers of Bangladesh's quota reform protest movement — Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud, and Abu Baker Majumder — who were taken from Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in Dhaka by plainclothes individuals on the afternoon of August 4, 2026. The Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police claimed the three "sought security" from police, but family members and hospital staff contradicted this, stating they were forcibly removed to an undisclosed location, with their mobile phones confiscated. The article notes this was the second time within a week the trio had been detained, with previous pickups occurring around July 19-20, during which Nahid Islam alleged he was physically tortured and left unconscious under a bridge. All three are students of Dhaka University and key coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, which had been organizing protests against the government's quota system for public sector jobs. A planned press briefing by protest coordinators that evening was ultimately not held, reportedly due to significant pressure on the organizers.

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The Daily Star

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The Daily Star

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