As many as 97 people have been arrested by Dhaka Police over alleged violence and instigation on the social media during student protests for safe roads in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.
A report in bdnews24.com published on Thursday, quoting spokesman of Dhaka Metropolitan Police stated that these 97 persons were booked in as many 51 cases.
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Out of the 51 cases, eight are under the ICT Act. The number of people accused in these cases is 29 and 16 of them have been arrested, according to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police News, the mouthpiece of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
According to the report, those arrested in these cases include photographer-activist Shahidul Alam, actress and model Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed, and BUET student Daiyan Nafis.
They allegedly tried to change the course of the non-political student movement through social media posts, according to the report.
The report further stated that Eden College student and quota reform protest leader Lutfunnahar Luma, and the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh or ULAB student Nazmus Sakib were arrested on Wednesday on similar charges.
A number of university students were arrested after the senior students joined the students of schools and colleges protesting on road safety in the aftermath of the deaths of two students in a road crash on July 29 last.
A total of 43 cases were started under the Penal Code and Special Powers Act, the report stated, adding that the number of arrestees in these cases is 81, including 22 students of private universities.
Meanwhile, different organizations and political parties are demanding release of the students.